


Evolution II

by DragonlordRynn



Series: Evolution [3]
Category: Prototype (Video Games), inFAMOUS (Video Games)
Genre: Alex is not a good guy, Bad guys, Bog - Freeform, But he's trying, Cole is a good boy, Come in, Gen, Good Guys, New Marais is New Orleans, There are so many people in here, Zeke is double agent Dunbar, not alex, slightly more bad guys, slightly more good guys, swamp, we're going to fight hicks and idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:55:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 227,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22294405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonlordRynn/pseuds/DragonlordRynn
Summary: One month after the events of Evolution, Cole and Alex are forced to face the thing that made Kessler afraid enough so he mucked up the entire timeline: The Beast. Oh, and there are also hicks and swamp monsters and generally people trying to kill them. So...just another busy few weeks.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Dana Mercer, Trish Dailey/Cole MacGrath (past)
Series: Evolution [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/923277
Comments: 155
Kudos: 84





	1. Empire City Requiem

The peaceful darkness was abruptly torn apart by a flash of fire and _agony_. It ate through his eyelids, dug into his skull, clawed into his throat and ripped at his skin. Breathing became impossible to do, each inhalation drawing in ember and ashes, scorching the vulnerable tissues inside of his chest.

He lurched into a standing position with a strangled choke, chest tightening and cutting off his air supply. Vicious bone talons broke skin, scales formed thick plates over soft flesh. His heart thudded against his ribcage, pumping blood and spreading a surge of adrenaline throughout his system.  
Panic spiked when his legs tangled with something- he ripped free easily and lurched to the side, his leg hitting and shattering another obstacle. His shoulder made contact with a solid surface- a wall? He whirled around, claws snagging on the material briefly, then threw himself with his back against it. He _hated_ having a wall to his back, but at least it meant his enemies could only attack him from one side.

 _Something doesn't add up._  
He was still burning, but there was no fire. He was all alone in his own dark bedroom, ducked into a corner, claws out like he was going to fight a Hunter. A weak position and a bad way to wake up- He realized that his own pulse was hammering away at the inside of his chest and his breathing irregular- too fast to actually gain oxygen, too shallow to reach his lungs.

He grimaced and had to force himself to slow down, take deep breaths- just like his instructor told him to avoid a panic attack. But this- this wasn't a panic attack, was it? He was still feeling the pain, could still smell the scorched flesh, the ashes and smoke- but he was unharmed. There was no fire, and the only damages he could see were those he caused himself. He had shredded his own blanket, the down feathers were softly drifting through the still air. He had shattered his nightstand, his electronic clock was broken. The wall sported deep gashes that matched his claws. His shirt was torn where his spikes had snagged on the material.

The damage was...neglectable, when compared to his first freak out in Manhattan, when he had taken out two walls and completely thrashed three rooms.

Then he heard steps, and his hackles came back up again. Without a conscious thought, his teeth were bared and a low growl worked itself out of his throat.

“Daddy?”

Heller choked himself off, muscles locking him down like a deer caught in headlights. Maya stood in the doorway, worry on her little face as she twisted her fingers into the hem of her purple pajamas. “Did you have a bad dream again?”

 _Again_ , because that wasn't the first time, wasn't the first time she had witnessed it. But it had been a while since his last. He groaned once and ran his paw over his scalp, then dropped heavily on his bed with a fresh shower of down feathers, burying his face in his palms with a huff. _Fuck_.

Maya eyed him for a moment, then slowly approached him and pulled herself up to sit besides him. “Was it mommy again?”

“Not this time”, he gruffly admitted. Hadn't been Colette for a while now. He dropped his hands on his knees and stared at them, willing them to change back. “Sorry for waking you.”

Maya shrugged and leaned against his side, watching the scales slowly turn back into normal skin. “I was thirsty anyways, so I went to get a glass of water.”

Heller snorted. “Yeah, that is a lie.”

She made a face. “I didn't want you to worry.”

“I always worry about you. That's my job. And I'm afraid I'd hurt you accidentally.”

“You won't”, she told him earnestly. “And I know to leave you alone until you've calmed down again.” Maya cocked her head. “What did you dream about? Uncle Ragland said talking about it might help to deal with it.”

Heller furrowed his brows. What _had_ he been dreaming about? “I think I was burning. No clear pictures, just the feeling of being on fire, of not being able to breathe.” Usually, it were vivid images and memories (often not even his own). “And I think I was fighting something _bad_. Something that scared me.”

“The big monster that killed mommy?”

“I don't think so”, He didn't like to remember the Supreme Hunter that he had personally taken down, even though it was a big achievement to defeat a thing that was as strong and clever as it had been. “It was just something big, and I was burning.”

It was pretty vivid for a dream, he had to admit.

Maya hummed, then pointed at his hands that were back to normal again. “Does it hurt?”

“Not a lot”, Heller told her. “Just a form of numbness like you've slept on it.” Takes a while to reconnect the nervous tissue that got removed in the transformation anyways. He also lost his fingerprints on his first transformation. Had been kind of informative coming up with some excuse as to why without admitting he was a science experiment. He figured Hetty knew the real reason, though, just played along.

Maya shrugged. “Oh well. I guess you do need someone to look after you.”

“Really?”

“You can lift cars and beat up giant monsters, but you are a mess on your own”, Maya declared, puffing out her chest.

Heller arched one eyebrow. “Did Dana tell you to say that?”

“Yup”, Maya beamed at him. Heller frowned a little, knowing that the thought of Dana triggered something inside his head. He wasn't sure what it was, however, because his head still hurt. With a grunt, he shook himself slightly.

“Since we are at secrets, what are your nightmares about?”

“I'm always alone. Nobody is there. Not you, not mommy, not Uncle Ragland, or Dana or Alex or Uncle Cross. Not even the mean men. And I call and call and nobody answers. And then I wake up.”

“And you come over to steal my blanket.”

“Because you are there and you are warm”, Maya pointed out. Something clicked inside his head.

 _There_ , and _Alone_ . Maya had said. Heller realized that he was _alone_. Inside his head. He shouldn't be, had never been since the last two years. He could always hear the voices of the people inside his head, sometimes even managed to listen and learn from them. A side effect of being infected with Blacklight- he was part of the Hive, could always hear it.

But the Hive wasn't _There_ anymore.

His head was silent, and it scared him. Where did it go? Why couldn't he hear it anymore?  
...The fire.  
It wasn't a dream.  
It were real time experience. From the other end of the Hive Mind. Now there was silence where before had been countless voices. And _that_ was a very bad sign.

His eyes flashed and his world turned muddy, with only him glowing faintly white. He lifted one hand to his head to help him focus, and just spoke one word. “Mercer?”

Maya's head poked up, her eyes settled on his face as he focused. But she didn't say a word. Neither did he.

Heller felt his pulse speed up. “Hey, Mercer. Say something” There was nothing. Not even a growl- and he knew for fact that this guy would have heard him on the first word and would have had a cruel retort.

_Shit_

That was _not_ good.

Maya was looking at him now, fully alert, and she wordlessly slipped off his bed as he got up and grabbed his phone from the nightstand opposite of his bed, already punching in a number. “C'mon”, he snarled with a slight panic in his voice. “Answer the damn phone.” There was no reply however, only a robotic female voice that told him the number was not accessible.

“They don't answer their phone”, he muttered, eyes narrowing.

“Alex and Dana?” Maya asked with a small gasp. “Are they okay?”

“I don't know.” Heller tried another number and let it ring. This time, it was answered nearly immediately. _“Speak”_

“Cross”, Heller didn't have time to waste. “Mercer. Something's wrong.”

There was a short pause. Cross knew better than to ignore his gut feeling. _“Wrong? How?”_

“The Hive Mind. It's gone. Can't get Dana on the phone either.” He grit his teeth. “They're still in Empire, aren't they?”

The Blackwatch soldier didn't reply, but Heller heard muffled voices in the background. _“Switch on the news”_ , he said simply.

“What?”

“ _Do it. USTV.”_

He hurried into the living room, Maya following him close-by, and quickly found the remote control.

“ _-we're here at Empire City, where just a few minutes before a catastrophe took place.”_ Heller froze, eyes locking on the woman on the screen. 'Linda Kaufman', her name tag said. _“Witness reports are confused as to what happened, though all seem to claim a...burning giant appeared out of nowhere.”_

“Fuck”, Heller breathed, echoing what Cross exclaimed at the same time. _“We are currently trying to find out what happened, though it seems this...being appeared at Archer Square, before making its way towards the docks and...destroying everything on its way before it...disappeared. We have no information about the amount of casualties but we can be certain-”_ She swallowed and tried to wipe a tear off her cheek, _“We can be certain that this new catastrophe overshadows the explosion that happened a scarce two months ago.”_

“Fuck”, Heller snarled, not hearing the voice of the reporter anymore. A _giant_ being? What in the Hell-?!

“ _It looks like this could be something about this Conduit bullshit from last time.”_ Cross growled.

Conduits...yeah, he remembered the news report from a month back, from after the situation in Empire boiled over. He also remembered he shouted at Mercer for a good two hours, for blatantly disregarding his cover and going all out, attacking and killing God knew how many Marines to protect the people of Empire from being gunned down.

But now? Now he was _worried_. An alleged giant had attacked the city Mercer had been in, had caused massive casualties. And the Hive Mind became lost. At the same time, he dreamed of- no, _experienced_ \- being burnt alive.

“Fuck”, he growled again.

“Daddy?” Maya tugged at his pant legs, but was still staring at the screen. “Daddy, wasn't that the city where Alex and Dana were?” Her voice was distressed, and tears started forming at her eyes. He quickly picked her up and cradled her against his shoulder while Maya whimpered, pressing her face into his chest. He shut off the television, so she wouldn't be exposed to more bad news. “They should be fine.” He tried to sound convincing, but he could tell that he hardly did. “You remember how he told us he survived a bloody nuke? He's okay. And when he's okay, Dana will be too.”

Maya whimpered, signaling that she didn't believe a single word. Heller didn't, either.

Cross growled. _“Whatever this was, it caught us with our pants down. Fuck.”_ He was yelling something at somebody, then turned back to his phone. “ _I'll head over there, check things out.”_

“Cross- wasn't there this Electric Man over there too?” He thought he'd heard something of the sort, but wasn't sure. Not anymore.

“ _MacGrath. I don't know what he is to Mercer, but far I heard, he was the only Conduit in Empire.”_ Cross muttered under his breath.

“Shit, think that was _him_ , just went nuts?” Heller was told that Conduits were bioweapons, much like D-Codes were. Who knew how stable they were, both physical and mentally?

“ _That's what I'm going to find out”_ , Cross scoffed. _“I'll keep you in the loop if something comes up.”_ There was a short pause. _“Make sure you are ready to leave at a moment's notice. It is possible HADES is needed in the foreseeable future.”_

The connection was cut. Heller scowled at the TV screen, even while rubbing Maya's back. She was crying against his shoulder, clinging to him with all her might. She was scared that she had just lost the remains of her family. And Heller could not tell her that everything was alright, because it was _not_ \- some thing just wiped out part of a giant and _crowded_ city. And without any possibility to figure out what the Hell had happened, they were rendered blind and helpless, were forced to wait until something changed.

He was fucking sure that whatever was going to happen, it was going to be _way worse_ than what already had transpired.  
At the back of his skull, the Hive remained silent, leaving only the thunder of his own pulse in his ears and the fading taste of ash and copper on his tongue.

* * *

Fort Detrick resembled a chicken coop. Everybody and their grandmother were rushing from one end to the other, swearing, arguing, yelling for supplies. Within moments the entire situation had changed, and they were trying to turn things in their favor. Last month they had been forced into a truce when Mercer blackmailed them by blatantly threatening them to air their dirty laundry. While usually an action like that would be quickly silenced, Mercer specifically made it so they couldn't.

There were too many people aware of him since he'd been on national and international television, too many people for Blackwatch to silence- so all they could do was to stare at him and shake their fists in powerless anger. Rooks claimed they were keeping their assets under watch, but he was fooling nobody. In truth, Blackwatch was tearing at their collective hair as they tried to figure out how to deal with the Runner now.

For an entire month, Mercer had been aware of it, had gone to watch their compound at Empire much like they watched him. Neither were willing to make the first move, so all either could do was look for an opening. Something to pry from without the many eyes watching them.

They've been at a stalemate. The appearance of whatever this thing had been took all of them by surprise and turned everything upside-down. Their staring contest forgotten.

ZEUS, gone. Blackwatch thrown into turmoil because something happened and they had no way to react. After the first panicking minutes, reports from their base at Empire came trickling in, and the men demanded orders to follow. Something to _do_ , because they had no idea what they could do themselves. What they reported, however, was more than just worrisome. There had been basically no warning at all when what witnesses described as 'burning giant' suddenly popped into existence and just removed half of Empire's Neon District off the face of earth with the force of a nuclear warhead, before it vanished in a massive plume of smoke and embers near the docks. Thousands dead already.

The first, mad thought most of them at Detrick had was that ZEUS now finally was tired of all of this and just showed them how little they really were. Then realization set in and that truth was a lot harder to swallow.

Mercer was a biological weapon, and should he ever decide to take over, the effect would have been a _lot_ slower and much _less_ destructive than this sudden and abrupt devastation. No, this thing was something else entirely, a living nuclear warhead- and it had just casually wiped half the city off the map.

Nobody in Blackwatch knew what exactly it was, but the possibility it was a repeated performance from two months back was high. Which meant _Conduit_ activity.

According to Moya Jones' researches, Conduits were the newest version of bioweapons. Individuals who possessed powers way superior to any Runner, while at the same time, being capable of creating own drones.

And whatever just happened, Blackwatch was going to _want_ it.

That was why Cross was the first on the first Blackhawk bound for Empire, combat gear already in place with his Wisemen at his back. The other first responders didn't question it, knowing perfectly well that the Wisemen's target had always been ZEUS. Under his orders, his team had spread the rumors that they would hunt that thing down should it ever become necessary. He suspected it weren't very good rumors, though, since there had been several witnesses who saw them working with Mercer during the first and second outbreak, though Rooks didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, even, he'd always given him and his team way more leeway than any other member of Blackwatch had.

It suited him perfectly, because Cross wanted to be the first to get to Mercer anyways, but for a whole different reason than what he pretended. He had to get him _out_ of the city and away from Blackwatch- if he was still alive, that was. Though what Heller said made him concerned. A lost Hive Mind meant that the source was gone. He'd seen it before, when Greene died and her brood lost all control.

And that possibly meant that Mercer was gone for good- though even then Cross had to make sure that Blackwatch wouldn't get any sample of Blacklight into their hands. He held no illusions that, no matter what human catastrophe just happened, his own bosses would only all too gladly take the virus back and continue where they left off, with no concern whatsoever for the souls lost in the process.  
No matter the thoughts he himself held. He could have potentially lost his strongest ally, something of a friend, maybe, yet if he came across his remains, he had to make sure they became impossible to be taken. No matter his own feelings.

This whole incident had happened mere half an hour ago, and the reality of it hadn't sunk in yet. But as he and his Wisemen piled into MacAlistair's Blackhawk, the first to leave for Empire, he couldn't stop the bile from rising in his throat. What was he going to find? How many had died already? Would they even know what they were looking for?  
Would they even have a _chance_?

The job was already bad enough, but the realization that even with their watchful eyes shit like that just kept happening sat uncomfortable in his bones. What even was their purpose when the same people he was sworn to protect kept dying left and right? The Red Line was long gone, there was nothing to hold anymore if _any_ body could be a potential weapon of mass destruction.

Runners had been bad enough, creatures twisted by sickness. But they had to obey some rules, which made fighting them easy. They needed bodies to spread, they needed time to set up, they needed enough people to hide behind.

But these Conduits? Nothing they did followed a logic. There were men who wielded natural powers like an extension of their own bodies, there were bastards capable of lifting metal using nothing more than their minds, people who could control others simply by poisoning their water. There were creatures that could heal by absorbing the bioelectrical signals right out of a human body without even having contact, some could shoot lasers from their eyes or turn invisible or teleport.

And worse, they were _alone_ , but still able to take out hundreds of men at once. Hell, this big thing? It was a Conduit. Must have been. And it alone had managed to devastate most of a city just by _appearing_.

They made Runners, even such fearsome ones like Greene or Mercer, look completely _obsolete_ , harmless in their limited abilities. They made _Blackwatch_ look obsolete. A relic of a time long past, when war was _simple_ men against men and men against monsters. Now it was men fighting _gods_.

Whoever had created these human weapons lost control of them the second they had been unleashed.

“Sir?” Cross tilted his head slightly, just enough to eye Fernandez, who sat besides him. “With all due respect, but what is going on? Nobody's telling us anything.”

Cross's lips twitched downwards. This here, this wasn't Blackwatch's usual willful neglect of the need-to-know-basis in their own men. This was just as worse. Because this time, _they had no idea_.

“I don't know either”, he grit out, “We had some reports, but there's only little consistency.” He had thought it would be a normal day with him training the new recruits. Instead he was now heading into an active disaster area to hunt for a biological weapon who might or might not be already dead.

Across from him, Santos clutched her rifle. “...could this be ZEUS?”

Cross shook his head. “That's a definite _No_ . We know what an outbreak looks like, and that wasn't one. More even, ZEUS had remained _docile_ during the last month, despite knowing fully well where Blackwatch was in Empire- and that's as much as a peace treaty as it gets. Our scanners didn't pick up an increase in Blacklight either, so I'd say that he's out of the woods on that one. This was something else.”

“But _what_ else?”

“You know of Conduits?”

Anders cleared his throat. “Conduits...like the Electric Man?” They had files on that kid, even if they were hilariously thin, just contained a few personal information.

“Yeah, that's one of them”, Cross confirmed. “So here's what we know: We're about to head into Empire City. Just at sun-up it fell victim to an attack of unknown nature. Numbers of casualties are currently unknown. At the same, as we know, Mercer's in that place. This attack, or whatever it was, will have probably gotten his attention, if not outright kicked his ass- and I'm afraid it's the latter actually.”

“'Afraid', sir?” Jackson arched one eyebrow.

“Heller contacted me”, the Specialist grunted. “Said he lost contact to the Hive Mind. So I guess we have to assume the worst. And you know what happens if it _is_ the worst.”

The grim expressions of his team told him enough. If Mercer was injured enough, he wouldn't make a difference between friend and foe. The Specialist cleared his throat. “I know this will get me court-martialed if I tell you that, but any trace you can find of Blacklight you will report to me. We have to prevent another Manhattan from happening, and I certainly don't trust the upper echelons to _not_ fuck it up.”

“Word”, Estoban grunted. “You think they'll continue the viral research?”

“Think? He _knows_ , man”, Redstone scoffed. “You know what kind of assholes we work for.”

“Assholes kept me out of prison and pay well”, the other shrugged. “Just wanting to know where we stand.”

Cross nodded briefly. “Now you do. While we are at it, I want you to keep an eye out for MacGrath. You know, the so-called 'Electric Man'.”

“Fucking dumb name”, Santos muttered under her breath.

“He's a _Conduit_ , in case you didn't know”, Cross continued. “It's almost like a Runner, only without the viral aspect. He's got enhanced strength, durability, regenerative factor- not on the level of our D-Codes, though”, he nodded towards Grayson, who just bowed his head. “However, his additional powers can be best described as _comic book_ ”, he winced slightly before continuing. “He can shoot lightning from his hands and drain all kinds of electricity, biological included. If someone knows where Mercer is, it'll be him or Dana, but we know that she won't be out in the open. MacGrath himself will not be not very happy to play ball with us, so we'll need to be convincing. However, I have no fucking clue how he falls into this current situation. If _he_ was the only to blow the city to high Hell, he's going to be even less inclined to help.”

“We'll deal with that if it comes to it, actually”, Anders commented. “So, find ZEUS, or anything left of him. And then?”

“We decide then”, Cross pointed out. “But our job is to stop this entire shit, and that means, we need to be quick about it.”

MacAlistair cleared his throat. “We're approaching Empire. Hold on, ladies.” Cross got up and headed over to him and Estoban, glancing outside and at the city that came up in front of them. He swallowed involuntary, eyes narrowing. There was a giant black _hole_ in the middle of the Neon District, with a long track of rubble and destroyed buildings running in a straight line towards the harbor. Fires were still burning all over the place, spewing black smoke into the rising sun. Cross could see blue lights flashing down there and other helicopters circling the air- rescue teams already at work. He wondered just how many people have been killed in this. He wondered where Mercer was. Down there with MacGrath? Or dead?

Both must have fought the 'burning giant', and Heller had claimed he had lost the Hive Mind connection. But he had to _look_. Had to see for himself.

He froze out of instinct, head snapping up. They were flying towards the East, directly into the rising sun- but why was there a _second_ sun just North of them?

...It wasn't a sun.

Something else entirely. Like a flat plane of fire in the middle of the old Historic Crater. It was pulsing, wisps of flames surging out and retreating as if it was breathing.

And it was constantly becoming faster.

Cross hissed, then grabbed the MacAlistair's shoulder _hard_. “Turn around!” He snapped, “And get us down! Now!”

“Boss?” The pilot looked a little bewildered, but then he spotted the pulsing object. Without questioning, he instantly did as he was told, and Cross quickly hurried back to his seat to strap himself in.

When the chopper spun away from the city, the light became brighter, changing into hues of orange and red before it spontaneously turned white. Cross's hands tightened around one of the handles, just seconds before the shockwave hit. The roar was deafening, and the force of the blow just tore the helicopter's rotor clean off. Metal groaned and alerts shrieked at them. The pilot swore under his breaths as the combined momentum of their own motion and the shockwave hurtled the Blackhawk through the air. The trees were coming closer _fast_ , and all Cross could do was try to brace himself for the inevitable crash.

He didn't remember the impact, but when he came to- and that was worrisome in itself, he didn't remember passing out- he was on the ground and his head felt like it was going to split open. _Should've worn a helmet_

He grunted and attempted to sit up, but a strong pair of hands stopped him. “Sir, you better stay down, you took a nasty hit.”

“Tell me something I don't know”, Cross grumbled, eyes focusing on the face above. Was Anders, and there was red smeared across his forehead and cheek. The Specialist blinked at the sun high above them. “How long was I out?”

“Two hours, sir”, the other said. He grimaced. “Grayson dragged us all out of the wreckage.” He attempted to grin, but it looked painful. “Guess his thick skull is good for something.”

“Har-di-har”, the D-Code snorted. “I'll remember that the next time and will pull you out last, Neil.”

Cross grunted as he tried to sit up. Vertigo hit him like a sledgehammer and he had to lean back against a tree stump next to him. “The others?”

“We're fine, so far”, Estoban commented as he moved into his line of sight. “All a bit shaken, but we got up by ourselves.”

“Maybe you should think about retiring”, Fernandez threw in. “You've been out the longest, Sir. Looks like that's a good sign that you should start taking it easier.”

“I'll take it easier once I'm dead”, the Specialist grit out, slowly getting up to stand with the help of Anders. He caught sight of the Blackhawk- a mess of twisted black metal resting over and under broken trees. MacAlistair and Jackson where picking through the wreckage, and he could hear the pilot swear under his breath. “Another chopper down. I lost more choppers in three years than I did in the eight before that.”

Cross approached them. “Radio?”

“Broken”

“Fuck.”

“We retrieved the flares, though”, Jackson pointed out. “Reneé and Dan are heading for some elevated terrain to set them off.”

“We found one”, Santos claimed as she marched out of the underbrush. “And...you might want to see this shit.”

“Lead the way”, Cross grunted. Anders helped to stabilize him as the team abandoned the wreckage and followed after the woman. “Dan's on that hill”, she explained as she led the way. “Trying to get the attention of _somebody_ , but I'm afraid we're shit out of luck on that one.”

“Why?” Fernandez questioned.

“Because”, Santos shoved a few branches to the side to reveal Redstone perched on a small hill, glaring into the distance. And on the other side of the hill- a giant crater, filled with churning sea water. Half-melted roads ran into nothingness, rubble was dotting the edge of the hole or peeking from the choppy water. The remains of ships still bobbed sadly in the waves.

Empire City was _gone_ . Ten million people _gone_.

“Rescuing _us_ might suddenly not be on top of their priority list.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I'm going to do this. Originally, I wanted to wait with uploading until I'm finished with writing, but since I am working so slow without additional pressure, I'll start this since I have about half finished. You'll get a new chapter every Friday, unless something gets between me and the computer.


	2. Lost

“Mr. Heller, thank you for taking time to come here.”

“Any of Maya's problems is my problem”, he replied smoothly, “And I don't like leaving problems unattended.” They did have the habit to bite him in the ass when he least expected it, so he made a habit of stamping them out whenever he had the chance. And given, this here was a bit less of a problem than having a Hunter charge him, but he treated it with the same seriousness.

“That's commendable”, the woman across from him replied, nodding slowly. “I that case, I won't talk around the trouble either.” She folded her hands. “You see, I called you here because we do have some trouble with Amaya's attention.” The woman sighed. “She's a good student, though her concentration has dropped harshly. My teachers tell me they find her staring into nothing quite more often than not. She won't even leave her seat during recess, doesn't attempt to make contact with the other students, and quite frankly, we are starting to worry.”

Heller inclined his head. “You think that maybe I have an idea what's going on with her.”

The headmistress lifted her hands. “Children are good at keeping secrets, surprisingly. We hoped you could maybe bring some illumination. It would be bad if her grades dropped because we didn't do anything if we could have assisted in some kind.”

He grimaced, leaning back and draping his hands over his face. “I know what's eating her”, he admitted in a low voice. “And it isn't pretty.”

Her eyebrows arched slightly, encouraging him to continue talking. He wondered whether he should, or whether he should start lying. The truth was harsh. Too harsh for anybody who works with children. But at the same time, it was only the truth that could solve problems.

“It's Empire”, Heller said finally, watching how the woman froze. Empire wasn't a pretty topic to talk about. Not as recent as it had been. It was a terror that numbed the entire nation, maybe even the entire world, because it was so sudden and so _brutal_. “We...had friends there”, he added in a low voice. “Communication's gone. We don't know whether they're still alive.” Since he couldn't hear him anymore, they were most likely dead. However, his guts told him differently, and the constant battle between his head and his stomach left him feeling like shit. He hadn't slept much since waking up from the last scream of the Hive Mind.

That had been four days ago.

Ten million people and the entire city  _gone_ within the blink of an eye. Then, just the day before at the crack of dawn, Philadelphia suffered the same fate, along with every town right up to Wilmington. Another two million people dead without any warning at all. It had shaken everybody to the core. The upper echelons were screaming in panic, and that panic was washing into the streets and the daily life of the people. The news relished in telling new horror stories to crank up their ratings.

The woman's face fell. “Oh”, she said, and obviously she was thinking how she could apologize, though he just lifted his hand and cut her off.

“It's not the first time either”, he continued. “Two years ago her mother died, and she had witnessed it.” He was watching the woman calmly. “Colette and her, they had been trapped in _Manhattan_.” That earned him a startled gasp and a wide-eyed stare. He understood it, could _taste_ the fear. Not many had gotten out of Manhattan. Not many survived the second Outbreak, and those that did were scarred both physically and mentally. To protect both himself and his daughter, he had made sure that nobody knew where they've been in the past. No file said where they came from.

“She's only eight”, he said, and it was a soft thing to admit. “She's tougher than most men I've seen, but she's only eight. This has shaken her badly. I don't know whether she will ever be alright again, but I have to try.” What Maya needed most was most likely what he needed, what everybody needed- good news.

The headmistress was at loss for words, until she forcefully cleared her throat. “Well, what do you suggest then?”

“I have no idea”, he replied in all seriousness. “The only thing that _will_ help is this thing getting taken down and _fast_.” He had no clue how to do that, however. The military was already trying, and they didn't have a chance. If he had any idea how to take down a walking nuclear explosion, he would do so in a heartbeat. Even if it would cost his life- but right now, it would only be senseless suicide. “As for Maya- I doubt you could do anything. Actually, the best would be to do _nothing_ , if possible. She's suffering from a shock, but so does every other kid here.” Every other person as well. “She just has a different way of showing it, and I don't want to feed her anti-psychotics for the rest of her life.” They caused more harm than good, anyways. He'd seen it often enough.

There was a tense silence, as the woman watched him. “You were soldier, as far as I know, yes?”

“Iraq”, he replied, cutting himself off and adding a few moments later in a slightly lower voice. “Manhattan.” The truth was, when he got to Manhattan, he wasn't a soldier anymore. Had actually asked some of his buddies to cover for him while he jumped on the next flight back into the city. He figured he'd gotten marked as deserter already, and then he ended up a lab rat for Blackwatch anyways.

“Then you know what fear does to a human mind. Especially in children.”

_Better than you'd know._ He didn't say anything, just hummed in confirmation. The woman leaned back. “I've been teacher and headmistress here for thirty years now, and _every_ child means something to me.” She sighed. “But we have problems now. And I don't mean the problems with naughty children or stubborn parents. I'm meaning- ever since Manhattan we had to realize that we aren't as safe as we thought. Then Empire happened. Now Philadelphia.” She dropped her shoulders. “Sometimes I don't know what to tell them.”

Heller furrowed his brows, glancing at the ceiling. He wondered the same too. He didn't know whether they would find out how to stop this thing. He didn't know whether it had killed everybody who ever meant anything to him. His guts said  _no_ , but they had a hard time convincing his head. He grunted. “Just tell them that the military will try to figure something out. They can't let this thing walk around.” Most of all, he put his trust in Blackwatch. Guys who went to fight Mercer would probably find a way to stop the flaming giant.

Hopefully in time.

“Is that really what you think?”

“Not much else to do”, he replied. “However, if anything happens, if this thing makes its way over here, it is your job to close down the school, no matter what the city says.”

Much to his surprise, the headmistress chuckled. “Oh, don't you worry.  _That_ is about the only thing I'm sure of.” She patted a stack of papers on her desk. “I already wrote to several parents. Should this... _entity..._ get any closer than a hundred miles, I  _will_ close down this school and tell the parents to relocate with their children.”

“That's wise”, Heller commented simply. He hoped it wouldn't come to this, however. If the opportunity presented itself, he would act immediately and try to find a way to stop this catastrophe from continuing.

There was a long stretch of silence, with only the clock ticking away. The headmistress seemed to have more questions, though didn't ask them. Instead, she shifted her posture slightly and got up. “Thanks for your insight, Mr. Heller. As you said, this will hopefully be only temporal.”

“Thank you for having me.” He got up too, shaking her hand. “Maya's over at the after-school care, yes?”

“Precisely. Please do inform her of what we've spoken about.”

Heller left the office, walked down a few stairs and headed down the hall to step out into the recess yard. Across the place was another, two-story building installed for school lunch and after-school care for any student up until the fifth grade to stay until either their bus arrived or their parents would pick them up. Usually, Maya rarely made use of it, he knew, since she mostly caught the first bus towards his work place to wait for him there.

Today, he beat her at it, though when he walked into the building, several children dove to the side, startled by his massive frame and constantly grumpy expression. Colette had once said that he was the softest man she knew and that he loved children- but sadly his face kept scaring them off. Or maybe it was his frame that allowed him to tower over most other people. Dana had once jokingly declared him to be a D-Code out of uniform, and that much was almost true.

Just...Supersoldiers lacked his shape shifting, finesse and stealth.

“Hey baby girl.”

Maya jumped at his approach, having been too focused on her homework to notice him at all. He could hear her pulse slowing down when her face settled into a frown. “Why did you sneak up on me?”

“I didn't sneak”, He pulled one of those small chairs closer and sat down, wincing when it creaked under his weight. “You just didn't notice me.” Technically, that was a lie. He did sneak. Wanted to take her by surprise for a change. “Math, huh?”

“Multiplications”, Maya huffed out. She glanced at her father. “You talked to her, didn't you?”

“Yeah. She said you're being absent-minded. And you don't play with the other kids.”

She puffed up. “Not my fault when the others are stupid and I get bored easily with this easy stuff.”

“C'mon. I know perfectly well that this is _not_ the reason.” He lowered his voice. “You miss them. Alex and Dana, don't you?”

Maya deflated, and she stared pointedly at her pen. “I do”, she whispered. “Because they have been there the last time...the last time there were monsters here.” She glanced at her dad. “They've been there, and the monsters were gone. But now there is a giant monster that killed so many people, and they aren't here anymore. I'm scared.”

Heller huffed out. “I'll tell you a secret. I'm afraid too. Maybe even more.” Because Maya hadn't  _experienced_ being burnt alive. “But I also know that I can't give up here. If I do, then we won't have a chance at all. We have to try it, at least.”

“Will you go away?”

He sighed. “Not yet. I'm still waiting for Cross to call me. He promised to keep us in the loop, after all.”

Maya eyed him. “But if he calls, you will go?”

“If he needs me.” He gently squeezed her shoulder. “But you will be fine, you know that. Ragland is here, and the others. They'll look after you for as long I'm gone.”

She still made a face. Heller attempted to grin. “And as far as we know, they could be perfectly okay, right?”

“The city's gone”, Maya replied mournfully. “And you said that you can't hear Alex any more.” That was true, however, it was _impossible_ to kill him as long as Heller was still alive. That was something he realized as the days kept going on and nothing changed with him.

“He's still there- don't forget he's a piece of me now. That's why I _know_ he's still around.” The Blacklight infection inside of him- it was the same Blacklight that made up Mercer's body. As long either of them was still alive, neither could really die. And with Heller on the other side of the continent, Mercer should have been able to resurrect the moment his body got destroyed- using the infection inside the Evolved to take over his body, use him as carrier to infect the closest person with Blacklight so he would be able to grow back. Thing was- it felt like being one of the zombies. Heller had no control over what he did, was only capable of doing what the virus wanted until Mercer had an own body again.

It had happened, once. He was glad it wasn't the case this time.

Maya watched him for a moment, then drew her eyebrows together. “But...when he is alive, then Dana has to too. Why doesn't he call? Why doesn't Dana call?”

He frowned, because that was what he questioned too. Though the solution could have been...more simple. “The net collapsed all over the East Coast. And when they are currently on the run, it is harder to get a hold of a phone.” Also, Mercer was most likely unconscious or something, which meant Dana had to drag his ass across the states. Which only added to the theory that they were in a bit over their heads.

He just hoped they managed to get away and lie low somewhere.

...Screw that. They  _did_ manage to get away and lie low. He placed his hand firmly on Maya's shoulder, squeezing slightly. “They got away”, he told her. “Because they are much smarter than I am. If they are hiding for a while, then it is clear why they don't contact us. They don't want to be found.” He grinned at her. “Though, once they turn up, I'll beat Mercer up for making you worry, okay?”

Maya hummed in thought. “Okay. Deal.”

“Then come on. Let's get you home.”

* * *

That evening, Baltimore ceased to exist.

* * *

Nearly two weeks after the catastrophe that cost Empire, the entire East Coast was in panic. After Philadelphia, Wilmington, every city along the 95 and Baltimore, D.C had been abandoned in blind terror. Several hundred people died in the resulting mass hysteria, however the...creature had continued devastating the towns along the coast, only passing Washington by.

But the death tolls kept climbing, even  _before_ the being appeared out of nowhere. Everybody tried to flee, and the terror was sweeping across the country. If cities along the coast were evacuated, then the thing would follow the evacuees and devastate the reception centers with an ever higher body count. If the people stayed, they died along with their cities. Stay and die, or go an die? It was a living nightmare, one that couldn't be waken from.

Nothing the military did stopped this thing. Barely slowed it down, if at all.

_If_ they arrived in time. Because the titan was also  _fast_ . It just appeared in the middle of a place, blew it to High Hell- and vanished just as fast. They couldn't even figure out its motion pattern. It remained at the coast, but it did chase after the refugees from towns that it was going to eradicate, appeared somewhere closer to Empire and further inland, or it just skipped a town or two, so its movement was erratic at best.

And they couldn't stop it. Nobody could. Scientists and generals were tearing at their hair. The president declared national catastrophe and asked the other countries for help. Nobody had a plan, nobody was even aware  _what_ it was.

After the first week, the witch hunt started. America blamed China. China said it was an American experiment gone wrong. Other voices claimed it was created by Middle Eastern terrorists. The Church claimed it was the Antichrist, cults claimed it was their God destroying the faithless. And several connected it to the events in Empire, to the rise of Conduits.

Heller was pretty sure the latter was actually correct. But it was also the worst conclusion- Conduits were individuals, and their motivations were just as numerous. Which meant they had to calculate in the factor  _human_ . And that made predictions near impossible.

To make matters worse, with most governmental agencies looking at the creature and trying to stop it, crime started running rampant. The number of thefts exploded, as did drug and human trafficking. Violence escalated in the streets. Bodily harm and murder became a daily experience. Society decided to just commit suicide along the way. Why follow laws when they were going to die anyways? The East Coast was worse, but the wave already swept over to the West as well.

That meant that police and officials were stretched thin and overworked. And the new casualties numbers kept running across the screens, always being corrected further upwards. As it was, the total amount of deaths already exceeded the amount of bodies from Manhattan by easily five times.

Which crushed any fledgling motivation they might have left and still forced them to work even harder. Heller knew he was easy off, since he had an underage daughter he was allowed to go home every night. Most of his co-workers were not as lucky, and the coffee pot in the communal kitchen was empty more often than full.

After he dropped Maya off at school, he went straight back to work, not wondering about the cars already present in the parking lot. Some hadn't been moved at all since he went home yesterday. He grumbled under his breath and went through the lobby, flashing his ID just so at the guard. Not that he  _needed_ , because there weren't many men here that had his size and frame. He did pause, however, at the sight of the  _other_ guy that stood in the lobby, the one that towered over him by easily two  _feet_ . The black-and-white uniform he was wearing and the two guys in black who flanked the giant were easily recognizable.

_Blackwatch_ .

Heller hissed, instantly looking for cover or something to throw when the two soldiers and the D-Code took notice of him. He knew they would recognize him instantly- not only was his face all over their briefings but also because the D-Codes could scan for the virus and realize what he was. There were only two options, really- fight or flight. And both were out of question right now.

Which meant he had to wait for them to make their first move, and he  _hated_ having to wait.

Then suddenly someone grabbed his arm. Heller very nearly took their head off, though luckily he clamped down on that urge the second he recognized the other. The young man beamed at him, luckily oblivious to his very close brush with getting murdered by his own co-worker. “Hey James, good to see you. We might need you today here.”

“Callen”, he ground out, forcing his pulse to relax and his bones to stop shifting under his skin. Once he was certain he had everything back under control, he softly gestured to the three Blackwatch agents. “What's going on here?”

The other grunted, good mood gone instantly. “Some Black Ops guys just marched in here and their boss went up to talk to Hetty. No idea what their deal is.”

Heller growled. “They're Blackwatch”, he muttered, then quickly added to clarify, “They were the guys that burnt the infection in Manhattan.” Were they here for  _him_ ? As far as he knew, he shouldn't have any problems with them since he wasn't their primary target- and their general had ordered to leave him alone, but who could tell?

“Blackwatch?” Callen clicked his tongue. “Never heard of them, thought it were always the Marines that stopped the zombie plague in NYC. And what's the deal with the big guy?”

“Blackwatch doesn't like being known, but they do a damn thorough job. They just used the Marines as front, but it was them who fought the outbreak.” He scoffed and glanced at the D-Code. “The big one is what they call D-Code. Supersoldier. It's exactly what it sounds like- human weapons.” Though he always thought they went extinct in Manhattan. Apparently not- or they still had some of the juice to make a few.

“Supersoldiers?” Callen asked startled. “Wait, like Captain America?”

“Sort of. These guys got solid steel under their skin, and they can throw cabs around like they're nothing.”

“Like you when you picked up that GAU?”

“I told you, I was under stress that day.”

“You picked up two tons of weight and waved them towards these guys. That was not 'stress'.”

Heller had stopped listening, was watching the soldiers instead. When one of them listened to something echoing inside their helmet and then suddenly marched towards him, he realized that they were indeed after him. He braced himself, subtly shifting his stance to cover his co-worker should he need to, though he completely faded his words out when the soldier stopped just in front of him. Up close he noticed that this soldier was female- smaller than the other and a different build. She didn't wait for him to say something when she removed her mask and helmet, putting both under her arm. He recognized her quickly.

“Lieutenant Santos”, he grumbled. “From the Wisemen.”

“HADES. Nice to see you still remember me”, she replied coldly. And that drew his attention. _Make sure you are ready to leave at a moment's notice. It is possible HADES is needed in the foreseeable future._

“What do you want?” That couldn't have been a coincidence. Wisemen were Cross's personal squad, and Cross had been the one to tell him to stay put by using his old codename.

She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. “The boss wants to see you. Requested you, actually, soon you'd show your face.”

Okay, he didn't expect that. And Blackwatch surely wasn't that stupid or desperate to try something funny with the NCIS on their asses, right? He glanced at Callen, who was more surprised by the 'Hades' part than anything else, then turned to her. “Your boss is where?”

“With your boss. That tough little lady.” She smirked a little. “Would never have thought the mighty HADES would ever settle down into a cushy office job.”

“We all change”, Heller shrugged, already walking up the stairs towards Hetty's office. He ignored Callen's confused “The mighty Hades?” on the way too, just throwing a “I'll tell you later, G” over his shoulder. Wisemen, huh? And there was no chance in Hell they would be present with Rooks. Rooks wasn't exactly a people person, and any uncomfortable encounters he delegated to others so he wouldn't have to do them himself. And that meant-

He knocked at Hetty's door, waited for a moment, and walked in. “Boss” He glanced at the other man. “Cross.”

The freshly appointed Blackwatch Colonel glanced at him from over the rim of a delicate china cup, though the relief was plain on his face. He didn't look like he had slept a lot, either.

“Ah, Jim”, Hetty motioned for him to sit down, and waited for him to actually do so. “You're here, good.” She gestured to the other man. “Colonel Cross assured me you were already acquainted.

“We are”, Heller confirmed, “Though I am afraid I don't understand.” He eyed the other man. “Why are you here?”

Cross set his cup down, expression hardening. “We found them. In New Marais.”

* * *

“Where's New Marais anyways?”, Heller questioned, brows drawn together. Since Cross had appeared at his work place, he hadn't said much. He had been hesitating only briefly when Blackwatch offered him to take him with them, had then quickly grabbed one of his co-workers and told them to pick his daughter up from school and look after her until he was back. He figured he already had some heart-to-heart with the girl about exactly that case.

Then he willingly went with them, and for a short moment Cross had toyed with the thought that it would be so easy to re-acquire their lab rat. He hadn't even asked questions, just went along with him. Based on nothing more than a word. But then again, Heller knew exactly who to trust, and Cross was probably the only one who also belonged to Blackwatch on that list. But apparently, trust between soldiers ran very deep. As opposite to that, he just knew that Mercer would be interrogating him first and attempting to find his own answers before deciding to trust him.

Now Heller, the Wisemen, and their last D-Code were piled into a Blackwatch cargo plane and headed to New Marais when the other man asked the question.

“It's south of New Orleans”, Cross explained. “Real shit hole. Got screwed over by Katrina much like New Orleans did, but unlike her, was never rebuild. Half the city's still flooded.” He snorted. “Militia's taken over back in 2005, had helped around the place. Now they got more bold, closed off the city. Pretty efficient lockdown too. They don't want the government to look too closely, but allow supplies to pass through. Still play the good Samaritans though.”

Heller furrowed his brows. “How did you find them?”

“We didn't”, he explained. “Dana got hold of a radio and contacted me. I pulled a few strings.” He snorted partly amused and partly disgusted “Officially, we're only on scouting and recovery, if possible. We weren't allowed any large equipment, nor are we allowed outside of the military compound without the Militia on our asses.”

“Who doesn't allow it?”

“Some guy named Betrand. Owns the Militia.” He scoffed. “Rich too, comes from an old family. Anyways, he greased enough palms and Blackwatch got sidelined.” Not for long though. Blackwatch didn't like sitting on the bench very much. They just needed to find a reason to pry, and then they would be in control again.

Heller frowned deeper. “Any chance with stopping this big thing?”

“No. That's why we're heading over to New Marais. Dana confirmed that Mercer and MacGrath are both alive. She also claimed they might have found something they could use against the thing.” He saw the relief take hold of the Evolved as the tension bled from his body.

“You know what they might have found?”

“No”, Cross shook his head. “She wouldn't tell, was afraid the line might have been tapped.” He paused for a moment, before he added “Also, just that you know, I'm officially not here, but still in Detrick.” Heller's eyebrows shot up, and Cross grinned. “Had been Rooks' idea”, he explained. “He trusts me to retrieve whatever they have found and make it ready to use against this bastard, but also knows I can't act as long I got a tail. Which means, my name won't be on the passenger list. Yours neither, by the way.” Strictly speaking, he was still supposed to be on sick leave too, with his body busted after that helicopter crash and all. Everybody knew he was stubborn like a mule though, and had no chance but let him off- or else he would have escaped the sick bay on his own.

“So you're going to sneak off base and meet up with them.” Heller concluded. “Good, 'cause we need reliable people on this.” He eyed him, then leaned to the front. “Off the record, why does this interest Blackwatch?”

“We classified this thing as Runner”, Cross answered. “A biological weapon, so the ball's in our court now.”

“Runner?”

“News didn't make the connection, or even know about this. But the thing? Wherever it moves it kills a shitload of people. And amongst the few survivors are always _Conduits_.”

“Conduits?” The other jerked back. “Like this MacGrath kid?”

“Yes. They are pretty traumatized. Rooks had us round them up.” He scowled. “Most of them are just kids.” He noticed the dark expression skipping over the other man's face and lifted his hand. “We're not killing them. But they are potentially lethal, so we just pull them together and try to keep them under control. We don't need another of them going around and ravaging whatever's left of the coast. We got FEMA and the NSA up or asses on that one, and they make sure we treat them okay.”

Heller growled under his breath, then turned his attention back towards him. “Okay. So the giant creates Conduits. Anything else?”

“People are getting sick”, Cross pointed out. “Super fast growing cancer, located around the lungs. Loads of people kick the bucket even before the big guy rolls in. Official word is that a form of unknown pathogen is going around. And with Conduits popping up, and others dying, we think there's a connection, that's why we try to take control.” He steepled his fingers. “I think it's a repeated performance of Empire.”

“There was a plague too, I think.”

“Exactly. According to sources, it's radiation poisoning. The explosion catapulted this stuff into the atmosphere and the wind spreads it. And the big guy follows the trail.”

Heller was silent. “It's looking for something”, he said slowly. “It was walking along the coast, as if it wants to find something.”

“I thought the same. But we can't know it for sure.” He leaned back. “It's not important right now. Right now, we have to make contact with Mercer and MacGrath. Find out what they figured. If it is something that could help us against the thing, then we have to either acquire it, or help them acquire it.” He sighed, shoulders hunching. “It's all fucked up. We can't stop this thing, can't even predict where it appears. Now we're hunting after ghosts that could or could not be the only chance we have. I don't like it.”

“And every moment we waste looking for answers that maybe aren't there it only gets worse”, Heller added darkly. “But the others could be our only chance. Pretty sure they know more than we do.”

“Let's hope they do”, Cross agreed. “Or the only option we'll have left is going nuclear.” And he really didn't want to use that option. Mostly because he had no intention on using a warhead on American soil- and that would be too close to Randall for his taste- but also because they couldn't tell where the titan was going to appear next, and a preemptive strike wasn't exactly on his mind.

He paused for a moment, eyes narrowing. “Why did the thing walk towards the harbor, instead of just blowing the ever-loving crap out of Empire?”

Heller frowned. “It hadn't done so afterwards.”

“Then what was the difference?”

“Mercer and MacGrath were there”, Heller pointed out.

“But _why_ did it walk to the harbor?” Because from what he had pieced together, the giant appeared, was about to devastate the city- and just _didn't_. Instead, it marched right towards the harbor- where it disappeared for a little while. The few reports they've gotten mentioned a thunderstorm over the area. And MacGrath- his powers _were_ lightning-based.

“It was a challenge”, he muttered when realization settled. Heller must have caught on, because his eyebrows shot up. “It challenged...MacGrath? Or Mercer?”

“I think the first one. I mean if that thing's a Conduit, and MacGrath's the strongest out there, so I guess it went at him for territorial dispute. Mercer was just...there.”

“And now that the kid escaped, it's following after him. Probably figured he'd turn up near the coast again.” Heller finished. “Fuck, you think he knows?”

“Not likely”, Cross scoffed, glancing at the small signal glowing up that told him to fasten his seat belt. “We'll try and find them. Then we can continue.”

“Deal.”

* * *

Once the plane had landed, Cross gave Santos a signal, and the captain left the machine first, followed by the Wisemen. Heller and Cross both waited until the last soldier had gone outside before they carefully inched towards the hatch on the other side. Heller inclined his head, listening intently for a moment. Some man was talking, all smooth voice and honeyed words.  _Must be this Betrand guy, talking to her about not breaking regulation_ . He  _could_ probably listen in, but he saw no need to. Instead, he carefully peeked through the open hatch, noticing that nobody was currently looking in their direction while the captain was assuring some older man that Blackwatch was ready to follow any order, as long as they managed to finish their mission to find and apprehend ZEUS, who was most likely in this city somewhere.

Cross slid the other hatch open and quickly slipped through. Heller followed after him and the two started zig-zagging across the air field to use the upcoming dusk and various crates there as cover, quickly getting distance between themselves and the militia, until they reached the chain link fence that surrounded the compound. Heller easily tore a hole through.

Once they were on the other side they slowed down finally, though didn't stop walking until they reached a certain distance before they finally ceased their movement.

“Where to now?” Heller asked.

“Dana's message didn't say anything. Though I have a good idea. Maps pointed out a Red Light district. I bet they're there”, Cross pointed out, absentmindedly removing his jacket to reveal a simple white t-shirt beneath. Heller arched an eyebrow and stared in confusion, so the Specialist added simply “If you want to get lost, hide where people don't look too closely. That's either in some slum, or in a brothel. And in the latter you have at least running water and electricity.” The Specialist pointed at his army jacket then. “Take that off. We're trying to blend in.”

“I already got that”, Heller muttered, also removing his jacket and stuffing it into his bag. Not that he needed the reminder- he was only all too glad for a little ventilation. With New Marais being further south than Cairo in Egypt, the heat and humidity was stifling. “You know where exactly?”

“No, but that's what _you_ are here for. You can sniff them out.” He turned to go. “Let's go.”

* * *

They eventually found 'Ville Cochon' at the central part of the city. It was probably the richest part of this place, with several expensive cars parked along the streets and all kinds of entertainment installed in this place, not just brothels and porn stores. Heller and Cross had avoided the tram and large streets, for there were entirely too many militia members patrolling the streets, and kept to the smaller side streets and alleys. Sometimes they climbed across roofs, and the Specialist managed to keep up with the Evolved, despite the steady heat, the oppressive humidity and the noticeable limp he showed when walking. Heller had asked when the older man had once sworn under his breath at one point, and learnt of the helicopter crash. So Cross had been nearby when Empire was blown to high Hell, which kind of explained the personal interest he had in stopping this big thing.

He also pointed out that personal injuries meant nothing to him and he kept going until he finished his mission. And that attitude made him a very scary person, in Heller's opinion. Not that he would ever admit it, though.

What annoyed him was the steadily growing headache that was clawing at the back of his skull. He blamed the humidity for it, though was fully aware that it wasn't the only reason. He figured there was something else at work, and judging from the soft static that was also starting to take a hold in his brain, he figured it were the remains of the Hive Mind.

And that meant they were getting closer.

Cross was glancing at the rooftops, until he motioned for one overlooking the park. “Up there”, he mouthed, even as they continued to stroll along the street. “Best position. Good defenses. High point.”

“Gotcha” They sidled down the street, only to quickly dive into an alley besides the building as soon they were out of view. A fire escape was attached to the wall- the ladder was pulled up, but that was quickly rectified once Heller had easily jumped on the lowest level and dropped it to allow Cross to climb up. They got to the roof quickly. Heller checked the area- a couch besides the roof exit, a couple of camping chairs placed around a fire pit, several coolers, a fridge, Christmas lights for decoration, fences.

And a fat man standing at the edge of the roof, peering down with a pair of binoculars. He had short cargo pants, shirt, vest, ridiculous sideburns, an even more ridiculous pair of sunglasses, an hair style reminding him of the Greaser motion- and a revolver in its holster. Not a threat though, not even to a rookie- he'd have no chance against The Specialist or an Evolved.

Cross cocked his head, then glanced at Heller. He lifted two fingers, pointing at the man, who still hadn't noticed them.  _Must be him_ , he motioned. Heller frowned, eyed the guy, then the Specialist.  _Who?_

_Informant._ Was Cross's only answer. The Evolved furrowed his brows. Informant? What did he- Then he paused. Dana told them to meet them here. This was the best position in the entire area. This guy was watching the place, was armed.

A watchdog of their hideout, or sorts of at least? Not sure in how far this fat guy would even begin to register on the radar of men like Cross, though it appeared they had the correct address then.

_Check it_ , Cross motioned again. Heller just nodded, lifting his head and taking a cursory sniff. He didn't like being treated as dog, but he couldn't deny that it was pretty handy most of the time. Unless he walked into a place doused with ammonium- which had happened once during his job and he ended up benched for the remainder of its course. In comparison, the faint scent of decay coupled with the ever-present whispering in his head growing stronger when around Mercer was more comfortable.

His brain started hurting, and his skin shivered briefly. “Oh yeah”, he muttered. “He's been here.”

“Good”, Cross cleared his throat just loud enough to draw attention, and the man whirled around, eyes blown wide. “Holy shit!” He yelped, then quickly tried to mask his panic. “Uh, we are supposed to be here, officer.”

Cross scoffed. “We aren't with the police”, he replied, folding his arms. “We're here for MacGrath and Mercer, and we don't have much time.”

The man gaped, then drew himself to his full height in an attempt to look intimidating. “Sorry man, never heard of those names.”

“No?” Heller snorted. “I find that a little hard to believe, since they've been on television not too long ago. Also”, he sniffed audibly and as mockingly as he could. “You're reeking of Mercer.”

The fat man was at loss for words for a moment, then forcefully cleared his throat. “Man, that's just my body spray. I might be overdoing it though-”

“Zeke, calm down. I called for them. Well, _one_ of them anyways” Cross and Heller both turned slightly when the roof entrance slid open, revealing one exhausted-looking Dana Mercer with her arms full of snack bags. Her expression however quickly changed into a wide, if weary, smile, and she dropped the bags onto the couch before latching on Heller and hugging him with all her might. “Hey James” She glanced at the other. “Hey Cross. It's good to see you again.”

“I can guess”, the Specialist huffed out. “What happened?”

“A lot”, she replied and stepped back, shoving the snacks off the couch and into a cardboard box. “Thanks for getting here so soon. I can imagine it wasn't so easy with these hicks running around town.”

“We managed”, Heller shrugged. “Where are Mercer and MacGrath?”

“Still trekking through the city with that NSA chick. Some stuff came up and they had to look into it first.”

“NSA chick?” Cross arched his eyebrows. “How does the NSA play into this?”

“Beats me. But she was the reason we got out of Empire, so I'm going to give her that.”

“That's what we wanted to know, actually”, Heller folded his arms. “How did you get out?”

“Luck, mostly”, Dana waved him off. “But you know what? We'd rather wait for Alex and Cole to come back here. Then we can compare notes.”

“Yes please”, this Zeke person piped up. “You never told me you were expecting visitors. Who are they? Why do I get the feeling they're black ops military types?”

“Because we are”, Cross deadpanned. “I'm Blackwatch, he's my associate.”

The man jumped back, eyes blown wide. “Black- Holy Hell! You're the guys that tried to blow up Manhattan!”

“We are also the guys whose job it is to stop this giant flaming bastard from turning our state to ash”, the Specialist finished.

“That's why we need Mercer and MacGrath”, Heller added. “I'm sure you guys have some information on this thing. We think we have some too, so pooling them together might be the more intelligent choice.”

“Good idea, thought just the same”, Dana agreed. She dug through her pocket and pulled a rather beat-up looking phone and a small slip of paper from it. A telephone number, Heller noticed. Mercer's phone? Or MacGrath's?

It was the high pitch of a woman he could hear from the other end, though it was too faint for him to listen in. “Hey Kuo”, Dana greeted. Kuo? Possibly this NSA agent, especially considering she should be with the other two. “Yeah, so my contact just arrived. They got some information on the Beast, would you maybe get Alex and Cole to get here to the Smut Triangle? I think we may need to do some talking about how to proceed from here on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With a small cameo of Heller's co-workers. One day, one day I will write a story with him and them.


	3. Empire

Zeke always called the Warren 'Nightmare Central'. Cole felt inclined to agree, though in previous times he only found it unsettling.

Of course, after the Blast, after the criminals escaped from Eagle Point, after the Dustmen rose under Alden, the Warren became a  _lot_ more dangerous. He remembered the first panicky night he spent in this place, running around, trying not to get shot and attempting to get the electricity back online so the drawbridge could be repaired and he could finally leave the place.

But even after that the Warren always remained dark. Not only because of the slum construction, the giant industrial cranes or the prison complex, but also because of the memories. The Neon had always been to him his home, was the place he spent a lot of time in, and even fighting the Reapers had more of a fun brawling character. The Historic, while his girlfriend was murdered there, didn't contain so many bad memories. He got his abilities there, and he beat  _him_ there. The Warren was worse however, because he had no happy memories there. It had always been running, being shot at,  _Zeke betraying him_ , and  _Alden_ . 

Now, a month after that, he still didn't like entering the Warren. Too much was in disrepair, and even though he and the others tried to tidy up, the Warren was stubbornly clinging to its image of a criminal slum. That was probably the reason it was like it was- put up one graffiti in a good neighborhood, and the social virtues collapse near instantly. Have people live in a shit heap, and they instantly become idiots- though that was actually unfair to think. There were actually a lot of good people here, but the sheer numbers of scumbags easily overshadowed them and made him feel like he was overstepping his boundaries.

However, the amount of people huddling in corners also offered a very good hiding place. Which was, in hindsight, the whole reason he was here.

Cole was on the hunt- for one of the most lethal beings in the world. He could take him. He was sure of it. The tricky part was finding him- the Warren was large and he was fast, and his internal radar only had a secure distance of two blocks or so- and was mostly aiming at electrical sources anyways. It did, however, give him the advantage of sussing him out- after all, his system was radically different from humans, so once he was close, he could tell him apart from others.

Something tickled at the back of his neck, and he instinctively released a singular electromagnetic impulse. It radiated away from him, bouncing off objects and stimulating electrical outlets of any kind to glow up briefly so he could map his surroundings and find sources of electricity for usage- or other organisms nearby.

And there was  _one_ , at the very edge of his range, that was not like any of the people he could sense- there was no fixed nervous system, no  _order_ or symmetry, just an endless amount of charges firing at random, appearing and disappearing.

He grinned. “Gotcha”

There was a  _crack_ , and the presence vanished. “Oh no, you won't!” Cole set after it, running as fast as he could on the cobblestone, but he knew that the other was  _way too fast_ for him to catch him. He grunted and latched onto a metal rainwater pipe, charged up briefly- and fired his own body off the ground as if the pipe was a rail-gun. The impulse carried him way over the roof too, so he was airborne for a few moments. Not willing to drop down, he generated his thrusters to hover across the building and land on the next roof in a roll to avoid losing his momentum. Then he was running again, launching himself over low walls and fences as he attempted to catch up with the figure ahead of him. He could see him- barely, but the black spot moving quickly and easily across the roofs far ahead of him was undoubtedly his target. Then the figure suddenly halted- and rocketed  _high_ into the sky. 

Cole stopped abruptly, swearing- and dove to the side as his target simply changed his own trajectory and raced towards  _him_ . He briefly thought about using his energy pulse or kinetic shield to try and shove him backwards, but then he remembered that he was going way too fast and weighed entirely too much for him to stop him- or even throw him off course, so he could only roll to the side and hope for the best. He had learnt from the last time this had happened- shattered his arm, his shoulder and twisted his spine so he was utterly useless for the next four days. All because he underestimated just how much kinetic energy this guy was able to generate with those Bullet Dives of his. And because he kind of forgotten Newton's Laws. Stupid of him, really. Which was why he didn't even try this time.

The impact was tremendous, and the abandoned building's roof collapsed just beneath him. Cole hastily lunged to his feet and scrambled out of the way, but barely managed to avoid the human-shaped projectile shooting back upwards. Before the dust settled, the other was gone already and he was back to square one.

Still, he wasn't one to be thrown off so easily. He dashed across the roof and lunged off, hitting the railroad tracks and magnetized himself to grind along it. With his speed now remarkably higher, he quickly caught sight of his target again. Who had stopped and was obviously peering down at him. He didn't need to see to imagine the self-satisfied smirk on his face.

_Son of a..._ Cole lifted his hand and fired a single, high-voltage lightning bolt at the other. It was definitely too fast for him to react- but even though it struck him right in the middle of the chest, the effect was negligible- asides from him stumbling back from the force of impact, there wasn't much reaction. And then he was airborne again, and Cole swore because he just couldn't zap him as long he wasn't grounded. Stupid physics. He could maybe target the building  _behind_ him, use it as counter-pole, but putting him into an electric arc would be only effective if he was...like the size of a duck. And be way less dense than his one-ton-body currently was. But like that? Now anything he could think of would have even less effect than the direct hit had.

Instead, Cole raced up the closest building, hoping to get topside to catch him- but he was gone already. Again. Was probably halfway across the Warren already- if he could go a hundred miles per hour  _upwards_ a building, he would do so too to avoid him.

Or...His neck was still crawling, and he snapped his head upwards. He was high above him, lazily circling through the air- before he noticed he was watching. Then he just kicked off the air and changed his trajectory, shooting away from him. Cole grit his teeth and started to pursue, knowing fully well that he wouldn't stay up there indefinitely. But maybe he could...persuade him to come down?

He glanced up. No clouds to be seen, so his strongest option was out of question. No clouds, no lightning storm, simple as that. Plus he couldn't really summon thunder strikes when there were still civilians nearby, because the chance to fry them was too high.

And then he realized that this bastard  _knew_ this. He slowed down slightly when the thought set it. He came here to hunt him, yet he easily turned it upside-down and took away his advantages while keeping his own. He wondered whether he should actually continue this or give up and go home- when his target suddenly changed trajectory and dropped back towards him, one leg outstretched. Cole swore again, snapping his hand up and generating his energy shield. It wasn't a Bullet Dive, and it was way slower, so this time he would be able to stop the blow. Hopefully.

The impact was still powerful enough to rattle his frame and sent him backwards on his ass, while his shield shattered. Even though his shield was supposed to swallow kinetic energy, it could only stop bullets completely. Grenades already made him lose his footing when he wasn't careful, and having him slam into it not only shattered his shield from the sheer force of the impact, but also sent the energy travel through his body.

And despite everything, the drop kick was preferable over the Bullet Dive. Less speed, less force. He could catch that blow and get away with it.  
Well, he  _did_ catch the blow and did not break anything, but he still lost his balance, while the other already flipped over his head, then crouched down and slammed his fists together, instantly displacing vast amounts of air in a powerful shockwave. Cole gasped and instantly rolled to the side, protecting his face and chest from the blow. Out of instinct, he gave off another radar pulse to avoid losing sight of his opponent- who immediately retreated and dropped back towards the street. The younger snarled and rolled back to his feet, rushing towards the edge of the roof- only to witness him grab and yank a derelict car off the floor and throw it towards him. While this projectile was just as heavy as he himself was, the greater size and slower speed meant he could easier bounce it back with his own electromagnetic pulse wave- which Cole did. But by then his target was already further down the street, though went slower than before.

Not because he was tired, but because he was taunting him. And he should really know better than to fall for it, but it made his blood boil. More anticipation than anything, because it told him he wouldn't need to hold back. Not when his foe could actually  _take it_ . It made him...giddy? Maybe. 

He had to get him first, so he dashed along the roof and leapt back downwards to the train tracks. He could catch up to him in that way, especially considering the fact he kept running along the tracks himself. He was toying with him, luring him- where to? He should probably figure out where they were going before this ended with him regretting it, but then again, if there were no people around, he could really let go.

Him too, but that was besides the point. Mostly. Cole hoped he wasn't wrong about that. He caught up again, but only because he  _let_ him, and tried to aim another lighting bolt at him- but he instantly dropped down and quickly ducked behind a parked car. Cole lowered his hand with a growl and leapt off the tracks to try and take him up close. He knew perfectly well that he couldn't avoid the lightning bolt in itself- but he could avoid being  _aimed_ at. And he used the very nature of electricity against him- technically he should have full control over it, but there were some rules he couldn't work around. Like no aiming at a target that wasn't grounded, no way to fry someone standing behind a chain-link fence, no thunderbolting people who were sitting inside or besides a car. And that forced him to get close up and personal.

And close up and personal was probably a  _very_ bad idea.

But- when he rounded the car, he was  _gone_ . Cole paused, frowning- and noticed the manhole cover that was sitting askew. If that wasn't an invitation, then he didn't know what it could be. So he pried it open, gagging briefly at the scent of sewage, because he had forgotten what it was like since he hadn't been down there for quite a while, and jumped in.

And regretted it immediately. Because down here, with all the metal and electrical cables, his radar wasn't working really well. His other senses were practically useless down here too- it was too dark to see anything. Of course, he had his lightning bouncing off his skin to illuminate the area, but that was almost literally just a drop on a hot stone. Hearing was out of question too, because of the sewage softly gurgling beneath and the pumps located  _somewhere_ , he wouldn't hear someone sneaking up on him. It wasn't an invitation- it was a  _trap_ . He should get out and try it differently-

The catwalk he was on  _buckled_ , and he instantly leapt to the front and towards the closest solid surface when  _something_ ripped the floor he'd been on apart. Something black, made of tentacles and spikes. It was about then when he realized that the entire time, he wasn't the hunter- he was the hunted. Had been ever since he entered the Warren, had been watched by  _him_ \- and he had lured him right into the area where he was more or less helpless.

_Shit_

An exit, he needed an exit. Needed  _space_ . Room to maneuver. Cole lunged across fragile-looking pipes, swung across catwalks- while the sound of slithering tentacles was right behind him. He risked a glance backwards, but couldn't see much since the darkness was even deeper with him being surrounded by his electrical charged aura. But there was something at the edge of his vision- and he lunged to the side barely in time to avoid a barbed tentacle rushing through the space his head had occupied just a few moments before. Cole fired a ball lightning in retaliation, watching how it illuminated his form for a split second before it simply bounced off his chest and sizzled out in the sewage beneath.

_Joy_ . He had the armor on. And armor meant a much higher defense to the point his lightning wouldn't do shit to him. Not that it interested him much before, but like that he was even tougher. The only advantage Cole had was that the armor slowed him down greatly. No jumping eleven stories, but only two; no running at a hundred miles, but only at forty; no flying. It wasn't ideal for him, but it was better.

However, that thought was dashed pretty quickly when he realized that he also worked around his own disadvantage by using his whip-like claw for speed and distance. And while it was lacking armor in itself, it was too fast for him to notice in time. Which meant he could only wait until the last second to dodge. It worked well enough, given that he could move  _really_ fast for a brief moment- it wasn't anywhere on near-teleportation level like he'd already witnessed in the past, but it was in any ways faster than humans usually had a right to. Was faster than  _him_ , too. At least as long he was wearing his armor.

But Cole wasn't going to waste time down here. He tried to head left, into a smaller side tunnel, but the whip claw slammed into the wall in front of him, forcing him to roll to the side and leap upwards, snatching one of the cranes that had been installed in the main tunnel. Using his own momentum, he swung himself across a larger pit and hit the ground on the other side running, intent to get some more distance between themselves- when he heard the tell-tale  _crack_ of his target jumping off himself. Cole just barely managed to avoid the earth-shattering blow that accompanied his landing, fired blindly several high-power ball lightnings at his foe and screwed his body upwards again, this time landing on a narrow pipe suspended from the ceiling. He kicked off and activated his electromagnetic powers to shoot himself along the pipe, using it, much like he had utilized the rainwater drain before, like he was the projectile on a rail-gun. That gave him a powerful burst of speed and left his pursuer behind. The armor was too heavy for speedy chases, and he could actually escape him- but he didn't want to flee. He just needed a better position. And down here, that much he knew, he was blind.

Just had to get out, then he would have distance to use.

The pipe under his feet started to tremble, and that had nothing to do with his weight- he wrenched his head back, firing another lightning bolt backwards to illuminate the tunnel- and swore softly under his breath when he realized that his target was currently in the process of running along the _ceiling_ of the tunnel- and catching up. God damn it, he always thought the armor would slow him down more.

Cole grit his teeth together and forced his attention back to the front, noticing the tunnel splitting just in front of him. He threw a glance back- and sped up to catapult himself off the end of the pipe he was on. In the same moment, he heard him jump off and he heard the sharp whistle of air brushing past his armor- and instantly released a shockwave from his body. This attack served two purposes- first it actually got him to back off, and second it changed his own trajectory roughly so he slammed into the right side of the intersection, while his foe ended up on the left side. Cole didn't waste any time, fired another few shockwaves at his opponent to keep him off balance- and instantly dashed down his side of the tunnel himself. He'd seen a ladder just a few yards further down, and he hoped he would make it. He felt the back of his neck bristle and just managed to flop down, barely avoiding the barbed tentacle soaring over his head, so it hit the opposite wall and burried itself into the concrete, ripping a piece of rebar free in the process. Cole went for it immediately, grabbed it hard and jabbed it with full force into the braided flesh, following up with a powerful lightning bolt right into it. The law of physics demanded that the charge was going to ground itself out through the claw- being the shorter distance than his body- but that was exactly what he needed. While his foe wasn't human, he was working human enough, so his muscles were still affected by electricity as much as the next person would be.

And that meant he wouldn't be able to use the whip for the next few seconds, either too busy trying to get it to unlatch from the wall, or too busy to try and make it stop hurting. Or he would just chop it off and grow a new one.

He hoped he wouldn't go for that option though, as he rushed towards the ladder, fired a single shock wave straight upwards to pop the cover off and darted up the rungs before the metal lid came back down. He more or less leapt out of the manhole like a bat out of Hell, and just threw a glance back. His target- having closed the distance towards the ladder- had stopped suddenly, staring upwards. Then he turned and dashed back into the dark.

Cole wondered what that was about, when he heard a rough voice behind him. “This is a military zone, _sir_ , and I must request that you leave.” He blinked at the man- nearly a full head taller than him- and it took some time to place the black uniform he was wearing.  _Blackwatch_

So that was why  _he_ refused to get out of the sewer here. He wasn't afraid of them, but he also didn't want to give them excuse to shoot at him- which Cole just did. Blackwatch glared at him, unwilling to do just so however- mostly because they had no real reason to shoot him, who wasn't on their target list anyways. But Blackwatch  _was_ scary, and he had no desire to piss them off. It didn't matter whether he was able to control lightning or not, whether he could take out a bunch of armed opponents- if they wanted him dead he would be. Even  _he_ always had troubles with them, and he was easily a lot stronger than him. Getting in the wrong books with Blackwatch- Nope, not gonna happen.

So he just excused himself and hurried towards the exit gate, quickly running down the street to get as much distance between himself and the compound as he could.

Cole didn't get much further than three blocks, was just running along a derelict building lot, when the ground underneath exploded in a shower of stone and giant black spikes. Before he could react,  _he_ was upon him. Cole ducked to the side and slammed his leg scythe-like into his knees, hoping that it would give.  
Well,  _it_ gave alright- his own leg. He was pretty sure he pulled something there, because he couldn't really put weight on it anymore. He should, probably, because he could sense electric charges starting to gather around his opponent's arms and shoulders- and he dove to the side moments before the armored limbs turned into giant lethal claws.

Cole immediately fired lightning bolts from both hands, hoping to hit  _something_ vital- and could only watch in defeat how the charge harmlessly glanced off the shell and grounded itself through the floor. His foe lunged at him again, ultimately unbothered by the attack, and he ducked under a swing and managed to roll over his shoulder and get out of the immediate surrounding, but as he did, he caught sight of his opponent's back.

There, just beneath his shoulder blades were two narrow openings. They didn't look like damage, nor did they look like the edges of plates. And when they flared briefly when he whipped around for another swing, Cole was pretty sure he knew what they were.

Which finally gave him a target to try and crack the otherwise flawless armor. He just hoped it would do  _something_ , because he was out of ideas. So he ducked underneath another wide but extremely fast swipe, and focused on releasing electricity across his surface in the form of a crackling lightning cloak. The other hesitated briefly, and Cole took his chance, tackling bodily into the armored form with every ounce of strength he could muster. Not that he even budged, but it did take him by surprise- and gave him a few more moments to work with. He grit his teeth and jabbed his thumbs into the gaps along his back, unleashing several charges straight through his body- circumventing the need for grounding by offering himself as either pole needed for the power to work.

And this time his target did react- without his armor acting as resistance, his insides were finally introduced to the same powers that had dropped countless men already. His body clenched, claws snapping together with a sharp click and the tendrils constituting both his arms started thrashing wildly. Some bit into Cole's face, ripping into his skin sharply, but he refused to let go, instead ducking further into the other's chest and trying to force him into submission.

Or, that had been the plan, because the next moment a pair of giant claws grabbed his shoulders  _hard_ . Enough so he actually heard his bones creak- and that was all the warning he got before his foe swung him upwards and slammed him into the ground with so much force, the floor shattered and all breath left Cole's lungs in a single heave.

He wasn't beaten, though, because the next moment he seized both talons and tried prying them off, while also trying to get back to his feet. He made good process, managing to get them loose so his shoulders no longer felt like they would crack and he even got about three inches off the floor, but then a cinder block knee dropped on his chest, making his ribs scream in protest when the full weight of easily a ton or two started to settle on him and constrict his lungs.

He growled and tried to wriggle free, but the guy was just unmoving, head tilted into his direction. Cole imagined he was grinning at him, was laughing about his attempts to get him off, but found himself unable to actually do so. Frustrated, he dropped his head against the floor, tapping the knee on his torso several times.

“Okay Alex, you win. Now move your ass off me.”

* * *

Alex pondered for a moment. “Hm”, he said slowly. “I don't think I've heard a 'please' there.”

The man beneath him hissed, and tried shoving him off. He was strong- strong enough to lift easily two to three tons, but that required a good position to lift and a grip on whatever he tried to lift. Pinned beneath his knee with his hands wrapped around his wrists didn't offer either.

Cole realized it and ceased his struggling, huffing out in defeat. “C'mon man. You're crushing me here. I don't know if you've realized, but I kind of need my chest to expand to breathe.” Oh, he knew that better than anybody else. He had so many voices in his head, so many information about every part of life. He had so much experience in  _killing_ , he knew exactly how easy people broke. Even superhumans like Cole. So he relented, fluidly slipping to his feet and pulling the claws back. The Conduit grumbled under his breath and carefully sat up, rubbing his leg- the one he had tried to kick him with.

“You should know by now that this had been a really idiotic idea”, Alex felt compiled to point out. “Didn't you break both your legs last time?”

“It was only one”, Cole corrected. “And alone the fact that I just pulled something instead of _breaking_ , means I am already stronger.” He sounded so _proud_ of the fact, but Alex only cocked his head.

“Well, you're certainly tougher. But do you think it will be enough?”

The look of pride turned into one of confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think you can take an enemy down just because you're tougher than them?”

Cole blinked, a frown forming on his face. “I always thought that was how  _you_ did that shit back in Manhattan?”

Alex barked a short laughter. “That's where you're mistaken. Sure, me surviving stuff when others didn't gave me an edge, but that had never been  _everything_ . When it came to doing some  _real_ damage, I employed  _tricks_ . No use fighting them open, when I got a whole skill set dedicated to  _sneaking_ .” After Cross, he had stopped charging into battles blindly- first he had tried to figure shit out before he went overt. Had to, because the parasite had restricted him back then.  
“Strength and endurance isn't anything. Think of Sasha, or Alden. Neither of them would have had a chance through force alone, David tried, and we put him down fast. But the other two managed to go strong for  _weeks_ , and that was because they  _knew_ how to use their powers. Kessler went for even longer. In contrary, what you do, is basically flailing your arms and hoping you hit someone. Most of the time it works, but only because it takes your foes by surprise, instead of you dominating them through  _ability_ .”

Cole was silent, brows knitted together- but he wasn't upset by his blatant disregard for his abilities. “What do you mean?” He paused for a moment, eyes narrowing. “What did Kessler know?” Ah, there it was. Of course he would ask- Kessler was  _him_ , after all, from a different future. And despite knowing that Cole hated Kessler, he wasn't so blind as to ignore the possibilities he offered.

“It's not much, I'm afraid”, Alex gave back. “You see, before he went back in time he never really had time to figure out about his powers. After that...” He shrugged. “He only kept running into walls when he tried to explain just _how_ they worked.” Kessler, while smart, was only _one_ man. He had attempted to ask his Alex, back when his Alex was still alive, but obviously, they never managed to figure it out. He frowned at the younger sitting on the floor. “He...well he figured out that there was something fundamentally _wrong_ with his powers. Like”, he thought for a moment about how to word it. “Frankly, you're giving off too much energy.”

“The law of energy conservation”, Cole noticed, head cocked to the side. “I shouldn't have that kind of power I pull out of my ass. Energy can't come from nothing, and I'm not eating any more than I did before- if anything, I'm eating even _less_.” Just to gain nutrients, but the energy his metabolism required he got from the electricity he absorbed. Alex had noticed that already, and found himself wondering whether he could imitate it. It would make a lot of things easier on his side.

“A keen observation.”

“Hey, I didn't go to college for nothing.” He fell silent again. “You have any idea? Did _he_ have any idea?”

“He always assumed that conduits were powered by a different source.” Alex grimaced briefly. “What I mean to say, what I _think_ is he assumed that you basically draw energy from... something like a parallel universe, maybe the quantum space or the like.” He shook himself. “Bah, it's too much comic physics for me, but frankly, it is the only explanation that somehow makes sense- and it doesn't make sense when you try and think logically about it.”

“Says the virus walking around in a people suit.” Cole was grinning up at him, and Alex snorted. Dana usually said similar things.

“I am different”, he pointed out. “If you want, you can compare me to a man 'o war jellyfish. Not a singular organism, but many acting together as one.”

Cole frowned at him. “Just that you know, I'm never going to think of you as a jellyfish”, he said seriously. “Not when all I can think of is  _Mike Mignola_ .”

“Dana said the same.”

“See? Then there has to be truth in that!” He searched through his bag and found a plastic bottle of water, so he could take a long drag.

“Good trick there”, Alex said after a moment.

“Where?” Cole asked in confusion.

“When you attacked me before I put you on your ass.” He inclined his head curiously. “How did you know that this would have any effect?”

Cole shrugged and climbed to his feet, rolling his shoulders. Then he tapped the plate that constituted Alex's face at the moment. “You don't got a nose or mouth in that form, but you can still talk and since your muscles still work like in humans, with oxygen and everything...” He waved his hand vaguely. “Figured you still breathe. Just not through the face.”  
Technically, Alex didn't need to breathe, the virus was perfectly capable of motion and metabolism in a completely anaerobic way- but he had quickly learnt after his first experimentation once he figured it out that converting oxygen allowed for a  _much_ faster reaction time and movement speed, plus he didn't need to recycle rather toxic side products then.

To achieve this, he usually breathed through his surface, really inhaling only when speaking, but when clad in his impenetrable armor, he needed to approach it differently. He involuntarily attempted to glance back to look at the openings beneath his shoulders, though wouldn't be able to see them either way. “I always wondered whether someone would eventually figure that weakness out.”

“So I _did_ punch you in the gills”, Cole winced. “Ah, sorry about that.”

The Runner shrugged. “I had worse.” He paused and quickly added: “I mean I know that you know I can take it. So no harm done. Besides, you have to learn to react to an opponent's weakness without having to think about it, right?” The truth was, he didn't mind, mostly because electricity barely affected him. Sure, it caused his muscles to clench and it felt like burning, but he didn't lose biomass most of the time and since he didn't have a nervous system or vital organs, an electrical shock was more annoying than actually harmful. 

Hell, even being torched with a lightning bolt that had a few million volts and at a few ten thousand degrees barely registered, mostly because despite the extreme heat a lightning bolt put out, it was much too short to actually harm him- much to short to even burn anything asides from really dry grass or leaves- and he already survived thermobaric shells which burnt less hot, but a lot more consistent. The charge in itself usually didn't interest him much, didn't have an effect on most humans anyways. Skin, sweat or rain already formed a near impenetrable barrier over the body, and Alex's armor included additional metal, so most charges just ran over his surface harmlessly, leaving him unharmed.

Now, a  _taser_ in comparison- those he didn't like. Mostly because it reminded him of his battle with Cross, of the parasite he'd been infected with afterwards. And also, a taser actually introduced the charge exactly where it was needed to do harm- Not on the outside, but rather on the  _inside_ of a body. Right where vital organs were. Back then, when he believed himself human, it had actually stopped him. Now, like many other things, it was only a brief interruption- one of the reasons he wasn't mad at Cole for utilizing his abilities in a taser-like way (he was actually proud of that one, but he was never going to tell him that).

“Why did you hesitate?” Cole's voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he tilted his head into his direction. “When I charged you. You hesitated- if you hadn't, you could have stopped me from zapping you.”

Alex sighed, the sound strangled through the plate his face was. “I didn't want to hurt you”, he said. “I know, I know. You always say you can take it. But you don't realize how fragile you are.”

Cole arched his eyebrows. “Fragile? Me? C'mon, you know I can take high-speed bullets to the face, I survive falls from any height, I bounce back from any sort of damage, really-”

“Not every type. Not the type of damage I survive. Not the type of damage I can put out, certainly.” He pointed at him, or more specifically, the scar on his face he had since Alden's tower collapsed on him. “You are tough, you heal fast, but _too much_ damage will hurt you, cripple or worse. Fall from a high point and _not_ stick to the landing, and you'll be out of commission for a while.” He had seen it before, when Cole voluntarily slammed into the streets from a high drop at extreme speeds, trying to catch Trish. He hadn't managed to absorb the impact force like he usually did, since he didn't land on his feet, had broken a few ribs instead and ended with a concussion and a torn lung- all of those cleared up quickly enough, but it had demonstrated the limits of his body.

“Lack of water and nutrients can harm you as well, just as a lack of oxygen.” He watched the conduit. “And what else? Blood loss could possibly kill you, just as extreme temperatures. Me? I wouldn't even have to try _hard_ to hurt you, much less rip you to pieces.”

“And...” Cole didn't seem to follow, until it seemingly clicked and his eyes turned sharp. “The lightning cloak”, he noticed. “When I had it up- you stopped moving?”

“Because I couldn't really see you”, was his answer. He gestured to the flat plane of his mask and the gentle dips along the lower half of it, and more noticeable, the total lack of _eyes_. “I can't smell as long I'm wearing the armor and I don't _see_ in the sense of the word when in this form- I can only recognize sound, heat, movement and the virus in itself. You stop moving, or you cloak your body with a higher temperature, I can't see your form very well anymore.” Usually in battle, it wasn't so bad. Whoever was nearby didn't matter, since he made it a habit to never fight in teams. But when he was trying to _not_ hurt whoever he was fighting too badly, then he hesitated when his opponent's form blurred out of focus. Too large the chance to accidentally injure them beyond repair.

Cole grimaced again, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yikes”, he said simply. “You know, I don't like it when people tell me I'm fragile. You do it, and it always sounds like a threat- even though I  _know_ you mean well by that.”

“Dana said something like that too”, Alex pointed out helpfully, now finally removing his armor and his world was filled with sights and colors again. He never noticed how much he missed it when he shifted, nor did he ever notice how much he actually lost each time the shell came up. He definitely should work on that, along with the obvious weak point that were his air 'gills', as Cole put it. 

The younger was just in the process of shaking his sore leg, bounced on his heels twice, and craned his neck around. “You got a time?”

“Ten before eleven”

Cole shrugged. “Sounds like a good time to turn in, don't you think?”

Alex didn't have need for sleep, so he just shrugged. “Guess so.” He frowned briefly. “Didn't you have a form of meeting tomorrow?”

“Zeke's been blabbing again?”

“Yes.”

Cole sighed. “Lucy Kuo”

“NSA. Moya knew of her”, Alex replied, more to himself than the other, actually. A habit that had formed when he and Dana tried to break the conspiracy in Manhattan. It helped him gather his thoughts when he focused them, but also made others question just _how_ he knew. Luckily, Cole knew already. “She thought she was a threat.”

“When Moya thought so, then this agent could be a lead.” He agreed in his mind, Moya was pure poison. Anything she viewed as threat could actually be helpful. Cole stretched his arms over his head, popping in his joints. “Anyways, she contacted me.”

“Oh?”

“Said that maybe she could help. I think you'd want to meet her too.”

Alex shrugged. The NSA wasn't high on his list of threats, and he was curious about this agent. “I'll be there.”

* * *

It was around noon when they returned to Archer Square. To Cole this was the place where he first realized his own potential and began to take back the city. Alex felt similar about Penn Station and Gentek actually, but he wasn't one for nostalgia. Neither was the NSA obviously, because to them it counted that the Square was a wide open spot right in the middle of the Neon, close to the main land and close to Cole's current living space- the same he shared with his friend Dunbar and the Mercer siblings now. Well,  _Dana_ mostly, Alex had little use for a room to sleep in, or comfortable couches since he didn't sleep at all. So he usually spent the nights nearby, sometimes  _inside_ to check up on research they've done. But he would, without fail, return in the morning hours to wait for them to wake up and spend time with them while they had breakfast. He had started with this habit when it were just him and Dana, and he gladly extended it to Cole, and Dunbar by proxy.

“Man! I'm just sayin'!” Dunbar wailed as the four of them were heading over to Archer Square, “The last time you trusted the government, Moya turned you into her puppet Cole! You shouldn't trust this NSA chick!”

“Zeke”, Cole replied exasperated, since this wasn't the first time they had this argument. “For the last time, I am not the same naive guy I've been before, okay? I know I was an idiot to trust Moya, but if there's any chance that this Lucy Kuo has access to a legit way to stop the Beast, then I'm willing to hear her out.”

“She's probably Moya 2.0!” Dunbar whined, trying to stop his friend from going by latching on his wrist and digging his heels into the ground.

Alex only rolled his eyes and grabbed him by the back of his collar, plucking him off the floor like he was a little kitten. Dunbar squeaked and turned his wide startled eyes on him.

“She can't be that bad”, Dana reminded the man. “After all, Moya saw her as threat to her agendas. And as we know, her agendas were to brainwash Cole here and use him to subdue whoever she pointed him at. So when somebody she doesn't like turns up and asks whether we want to listen, I'm pretty sure we should at least do that.” She flicked his nose with a grin. “Plus we got Alex here. Don't you think she would be _really_ stupid should she try anything with _him_ here?”

“Dana got a point there”, Cole added, then slapped Alex's shoulder. “C'mon man. Drop him. You'll wear out his collar.” Alex was about to, when he paused and turned his head, squinting at the sky. “Cole?” He asked, “Is there a reason why this woman wanted to meet here, and not at the bridge? Or at Harms' place?”

The Conduit furrowed his brows. “Uh, no. She just said she wanted to meet. Here. No idea why.”

“I guess because it's a wide open space with no power chords for a chopper to tangle in”, Dana deadpanned, pointing at the shape just appearing above. A helicopter. Alex scowled slightly, eyes narrowing when it came closer. He had gotten a good hold of his instincts after all those years, but the unannounced presence of unmarked dark helicopters still managed to press all his buttons and got him worked up, usually over nothing. But being shot at with Hellfire missiles at being half an hour old with no memories whatsoever was the kind of experience that could trigger extreme bouts of violence from him.

But this chopper wasn't Blackwatch, and his tension bled away into careful curiosity.

Unmarked, but military. Supply chopper, he noticed a moment later- not unusual, but it did explain his sudden aggression towards it. Supply choppers usually didn't fly over the city, but rather remained near the coast to drop their goods off.

From the looks of it, the detour wasn't by accident. And that suspicion proved to be correct when the side hatch was slid open as soon as the vehicle started to hover just next to the decorative statue. A grappling line was dropped out, followed by a single figure sliding down the wire with the same sort of professionalism he usually only knew from Blackwatch.

But the person there was no Blackwatch. She was smaller, thinner, with a duffel bag across her shoulder, wearing a simple black suit and a white shirt as she descended towards the ground and just dropped the last foot where the line didn't reach, landing in a slight crouch despite the heels she was wearing.

Unfazed, she tucked a stray lock behind her ear and approached them while the chopper pulled away. When she opened her mouth, Alex half expected the sharp bark of a military drill sergeant, not a friendly “Hi, you must be Cole.”

The man in question was still stunned, as were Dunbar and Dana, and the woman let them collect themselves- her eyes lingered on him though, and narrowed by a fraction. They immediately snapped to Cole's face however, as soon as he cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. You must be Agent Kuo?”

“We spoke a few times already”, she pointed out, still a smile on her face. Unlike with Moya, Alex also had the feeling that this was genuine.

“Sorry, it's just-” Cole trailed off with a vague wave of his hand. Dana cut in to save him. “Sorry, but we were expecting a military cordon, or maybe a car. Not a chopper.”

Agent Kuo arched her eyebrows. “Going in across the bridge would have required mountains of paper to be filled out, and I seriously don't have the time, Ms. Mercer, correct?”

“So you hijacked a military flight”, Alex grit out, watching her carefully. Her eyes turned guarded, but other than that, she didn't flinch or react in any other way, even managed to keep her pulse under control. “What could be so important that the NSA interferes like that?”

“Ah, Doctor Mercer”, her voice had become more frigid, but not so much that it masked the friendliness or the slight tremor that accompanied it. Alex bared his teeth. “Don't call me that”, he bit out, actually making her jump. Dana grabbed his arm warningly, so he immediately added. “Just Mercer.”

Agent Kuo furrowed her brows. “Well, okay then, Mr. Mercer. Just so we are clear on this, I am here to offer assistance. I have heard what Jones did to you, and I know what  _you_ did to her in retaliation. I do not want to get into a conflict with you or Mr. MacGrath.” At least she was honest about that, so Alex just nodded briefly, watched how her shoulders lost some of the tension.

“Help, you said you wanted to help me”, Cole picked up. “When you last called you also mentioned the 'Beast'.” He inclined his head, and the others became more attentive at the mentioning of the name. “Where do you have this name from anyways?”

“I was appointed to work with a doctor”, Agent Kuo pointed out. “An expert in the field of electromagnetic waves. He was also an acquaintance of a man called Kessler, used to-”

“Work with him when Kessler spent several years in New Marais”, Alex finished, eyes distant. “Sebastian Wolfe.” He considered him a friend. Well, Kessler did- Alex himself had never met the man, but he had consumed Kessler, knew everything he knew. He eyed Kuo. “They've finished the Ray Sphere in New Marais, until it apparently went off a few years prior. They split and Kessler came back here.”

“How do you know that?” Agent Kuo asked suspiciously, while Dunbar threw in “The Ray Sphere went off? How come we never heard of this?”

Alex glanced at him. “It was never in the news. The Ray Sphere explosion in New Marais, it had happened in the swamps surrounding the city. No victims, far I know.” He turned back to the woman. “As for the information- I got them directly from Kessler himself.” He didn't elaborate. What he did with his victims was only known at Blackwatch, and even amongst them only few actually knew that he could take their memories. He intended to keep it that way.

“That guy knew about the Ray Sphere?” Cole sounded interested.

“Cole, you don't really think-” Dunbar started, but was cut off by his friend. “After I destroyed it, Kessler suggested that I would have gained more power should I have activated it.” He eyed the agent. “If this doctor Wolfe knows how a Ray Sphere works, then perhaps-”

“Then perhaps he has a weapon you can use against the Beast”, agent Kuo answered. “According to Wolfe, this was something Kessler began- it was supposed to help against an entity he called 'The Beast', and he always told me how much Kessler actually _feared_ this thing, too much to be actual paranoia. So Wolfe continued working on it after Kessler left.” She handed him a file folder, which he flipped open. Alex, Dana and Dunbar all peered inside too. There were schematics of the Ray Sphere, pictures of the object and Doctor Wolfe (who could be a slimmer version of Ragland, Dana said), and data about an object called 'R.F.I.'

Cole frowned at the agent, then turned to Alex. “This looks legit to you?”

The Runner simply nodded. This was legit, way more. The woman was saying the truth. Cole exhaled and handed the folder back. “Okay, so you got me. What part must I play?”

“You simply come with me to New Marais. We meet with Doctor Wolfe. He will tell you how to amplify your powers, and you can come back here.”

“To beat the Beast”, Cole frowned. “Why does this interest the NSA?”

“We are the 'National Security Agency'. It is our job to make sure such threats are taken seriously.” The woman inclined her head. “So we have a deal?”

“You got it, Agent Kuo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, return of our actual main characters. And I kind of established their power levels here and the basic science behind electricity since I have the feeling that a lot of people have no idea how stuff like that actually works. I also added some basic Comic science in here which should make sense, I hope.


	4. Leaving Empire City

After years of traveling around nearly non-stop, Dana was exercised in packing everything they owned together even without Alex's help. Not that he didn't offer to do it for her, but she declined, saying she wouldn't need any assistance with a laptop plus equipment, some clothes and toiletries. In truth, they never owned much, not before Manhattan, and certainly not after that.

“What am I supposed to do then?” Alex demanded to know, feeling a little useless just standing in the room.

“Check up on Jane Bond”, Dana decided without even stopping while she was stuffing a hoodie into her bag. “I'm not sure I trust her, so could you please keep an eye on her?” She paused and grimaced. “Non-lethal.”

Alex considered it. That was about as good as any other idea, and while he doubted that the woman could do anything to harm him, it would put Dana's mind to rest. So when he about to leave the apartment, while Dana continued to cram whatever they owned into a hiking backpack, he stopped and turned back. “Dress lightly”, he told her. “Even if we don't trust this woman, Wolfe is a solid lead- both Kessler and Moya knew it. But he's in New Marais, and that place is hot and humid.”

She glanced at him, already holding a black shirt up between her fingers. “Like Miami then?”

“Only with less criminals and more frat boys.”

Dana chuckled lightly and he finally left. The next moment, he was already scouting the city. Empire was large- ten million people- and despite being fast, it took him until evening until he finally picked up her trail again.   
...Come to think of it, it was probably  _because_ he was going so fast that he needed until evening to pick up her trail again. He didn't have much time to get acquainted anyways, so it was guesswork most of the time. But then he caught sight of her dark suit and sharp step just near the piers and latched onto her heels with exactly the same focus he had displayed in the past, when hunting for information. 

He watched her silently how she began asking around at the docks and was just thinking about how to approach her when he realized that the  _direct_ confrontation would work just fine. The people didn't think him to be a Runner- he was a  _Conduit_ to them. One that had been activated at the worst possible moment ever- right in the middle of an infectious outbreak- but who was still a Conduit. And that gave him room to maneuver. He didn't have to hide because the public believed he was something that could be categorized. The only ones who knew the truth were Blackwatch- and they wouldn't tell a soul about it unless they wanted to reveal that it was them who created the virus in the first place. They didn't tell the Marines, after all, and they worked closest with them. Why should they tell anybody outside?

And White, being a NSA agent himself, hadn't known exactly what Alex was either, so the chance was high his co-worker was just as unknowing beyond the normal 'alleged terrorist' and 'user of nightmarish powers'.

He would try playing it from that angle. Figure out what the woman knew. Watch her closely. Learn about her.  
It came to his realization, that in the past, he would have just attacked and consumed her, would have learnt what she knew. This was however In the past, this was the old him. The one so desperate for answers that he didn't care for anyone other than himself. Who had done one mistake after the other, and barely got what he wanted in the end. And hunting down people had never actually put him into any better position from the first moment on- it just revealed too much of his powers- and it gave his foes a point to pry from.

And it put him into a compromising situation. A monster that killed and ate humans without leaving a trace wasn't something that could be redeemed. Wasn't something that could be trusted. He knew that was all true, knew that this was all he  _was_ , but he craved to be  _more_ .

So he was going to ask, like any other civilized person. Try to be different, try to appear non-threatening, keep his more devastating abilities under cover.

If she was lying or going to lie- and he knew perfectly well he would know instantly- then he could still go for consuming her. She hadn't been around them for too long anyways, was just another governmental agent like Moya and White , so it wouldn't have too much of an impact if she was gone . Moya deserved it in the end, White was mourned only a little, but had no further impact in their lives. This agent Kuo wasn't much more, and Alex wouldn't regret removing possible threats if he deemed it necessary.

For now though-  _diplomacy_ . Alex exhaled once and simply stepped off the roof he was currently on, hitting the street four stories below with a solid  _crack_ . Predictably, the woman spun around, gun already drawn and pointed at him as he peeled himself out of the dirt cloud and casually dusted himself off. Instead of shooting however, what Blackwatch and most Marines would have done already, she just arched an eyebrow and lowered her weapon by a few inches. “Mr. Mercer”, she said, “Are you following me?”

“Was. Past tense”, Alex replied simply.

The agent furrowed her brows, until she seemed to realize that he had, in fact, followed her around the city. “How long?” She demanded to know, though there was a cautious tone in her voice.

“Since you've walked out of Bruce's Pier.” Now they were at Fisherman's Wharf and on the way back. Was at least four blocks down the street. 

The woman holstered her weapon and glanced back, then hummed thoughtful. “You're good”, she admitted. “I didn't notice you.”

“I didn't plan to get noticed”, he had perfected it. Most of his victims never knew he was there. He turned his attention towards the various ships, lips curling in amusement. “You're trying to find a way out of here”, he said simply. “Not legally, because then you would be at the bridge. But you're not going to take the chopper you've come in with.” He inclined his head, glancing at her. “Because you're not here _officially_.”

Her shoulders tensed, and her expression became more defiant- for a short moment before it collapsed into defeat. “Damn, was it that obvious?”

Alex shrugged. “Not enough suits around here”, he pointed out helpfully. “If this was an official NSA action, then there would be a lot more men in black, and you wouldn't be asking...” He squinted at the boat in the distance, the one she just came back from, “...Cap'n Quinn for smuggling us out of Empire.” He knew the man was making constant tours in and out of the place, taking as many people out of the city as wanted- and paid for. Sure, Quinn wasn't greedy or wanted obscene amounts of cash, but he didn't do shit for free. But once he was paid, he saw through to the end. Was willing to break through the supposed quarantine of Empire, even though this thing already was a joke to begin with.

“Are you complaining?”

“I want to know what you get out of it”, he wanted to know. _I want to know what you want_ , he added inside his head.

“I'm doing my job. I try to make the world secure. The Beast is coming”, the woman replied simply. Alex only arched his eyebrow, so she continued. “I know it sounds lunatic, but Doctor Wolfe was so certain it'll arrive, I had to take him serious- whether my superiors think so too or not doesn't matter.” She glared at him defiantly. “And I don't care whether you think it to be idiotic.”

“I don't”, he answered. “I'm just surprised somebody else outside of Kessler, Cole and myself takes this threat serious.” Dana did too, but like Dunbar, she wasn't certain that this thing would actually arrive. After all, time had been changed so the event that caused Kessler to go back and try to stop it didn't necessarily have to happen. 

However, even if the Beast wouldn't arrive, meeting with Sebastian Wolfe, the brilliant mind behind the completion of the Ray Sphere, would probably boost Cole's abilities. There were many things Kessler didn't know or just suspected about the very nature of the Sphere. Wolfe knew more about it. Would know more about it, had learnt more since Kessler and he split.

Alex  _knew_ this. Knew this from Kessler's point of view. This was the  _only_ reason he didn't veto the idea when agent Kuo turned up. Actually, he already wanted to visit Wolfe, but always figured that they'd have time still. Though with that woman here, they could very well start now.

“Why are you that invested in Cole?” He asked instead.

“It's not Cole directly”, she replied simply. “It's this whole thing. We had an agent in Kessler's organization, one that forwarded us plans of this Ray Sphere, dates and files about the First Sons. They were a cult, one extremely dedicated- of course we had to make sure they weren't a threat.” She grimaced. “But when our agent signaled us that things were going south, my superiors didn't react in time. And then the Sphere exploded, took out five blocks downtown- and the quarantine went up. We lost contact with our agent-”

“So you also came here to look for him, asides from Cole”, Alex finished.

“Yes. His last report was he tried to stop the Ray Sphere from getting away, tried to stop the courier who carried it- then the explosion happened. My superiors believe he was a casualty of the blast, but-”

“He survived the blast”, Alex informed her simply. “Managed to get the Ray Sphere and keep it in his possession for some time until a group known as Dustmen took it off him. Cole found the Dead Drops he left behind.” He paused, glancing at her. The agent was attentive, eyebrows furrowed. “Cole and I met him. He actually assisted us with locating the Ray Sphere, and he was there when Cole destroyed it.” He heard the woman's heart skip at his mentioning of the Sphere. “It's gone now.”

“Then-” Her head swiveled slightly from side to side, when her eyes widened and realization set in. “Shit. He's dead, isn't he?”

“The damaged Sphere destroyed everything around. Including White. Cole just barely escaped.”

The agent exhaled slowly, forcing her pulse back under control. “He knew the risks”, she eventually sighed “It's just...I had my hopes up I'd actually find him alive.”

“After two months of radio silence?”

She shrugged tensely. “What can I say? I'm hopelessly optimistic.”

He grimaced, when a voice inside his head that sounded suspiciously like Dana whispered  _'Very well done Alex, way to be a jackass'_ . He cleared his throat and attempted to sound comforting. “If it's any consolation, his death wasn't in vain. The Ray Sphere can never be used by anybody ever again.”

The woman sighed again and tried to smile a little. It looked very forced. “My bosses probably think differently, but...I'm glad that this thing won't be a threat again.” Interesting, she was being honest about it. So she was either a  _very_ good actor, or she was genuine. And Alex actually figured it was the latter one. Which meant that this woman was more trustworthy than Moya had been.

Though that wasn't much praise. Moya was a snake, through and through. He wasn't going to take any chances.

“Does the NSA know you're here?” He questioned. Hopefully she noticed the question beyond that. _Does the NSA know you're attempting to relocate the priority target?_

“They don't”, was her reply, and her pulse remained steady. No dilution of the pupils, no spike in her breathing, no change of her scent. She was telling the truth. “They think I'm still in New Marais with Doctor Wolfe, just as they told me to.”

“Did you give them any plans of the Sphere?” His tone shifted, became darker. 

She held his glare unflinchingly. “It is my  _job_ ”, she replied coldly. “But Wolfe never got the real plans from Kessler, nor was he able to reproduce the Ray Sphere. Frankly, there was nothing I could give to my superiors.”

He held her gaze for a few moments longer, then cocked his head. “You're being honest. That's good.”  _For you_ he added inside his mind. If she wasn't, he wouldn't have hesitated to remove her. Without information, he had no idea how much the NSA or any of the other organizations knew about him, but DARPA- or at least Moya- had been aware of his nature. Though maybe not as surprising- Blackwatch had been founded and funded by DARPA in the beginning, so they still had more contact with each other than with the NSA or Interpol, for example. For those, Alex was still 'only' the Terrorist of Manhattan, a Conduit now that was said to have caused the largest loss of life on the American continent. That much was true, but Dana had twisted the facts on international TV, told them he was a Whistleblower who ended up on the wrong side of the public. Alex wondered whether agencies like the NSA swallowed the lie or dug deeper.

They didn't trust him, and he didn't trust them. This agent was one of them, so he didn't trust her either. Simple, really.  
She did intrigue him, however. So far, he hadn't noticed any clue that she might be lying about this whole thing, nothing that told him she had something else planned instead of introducing Cole to Doctor Wolfe. He snorted and turned his attention towards the ship. “When do we leave?”

“At dawn tomorrow”, the NSA agent told him. “This Captain Quinn was going to ferry another shipment of people out of the city. There's some room left on the ship.” She inclined her head. “You and Ms. Mercer are welcome to come with me, but I absolutely _must_ insist that Mr. MacGrath accompanies me to New Marais.” It was a peace offering, that much Alex noticed. He mimicked her head tilt and shrugged one shoulder towards the ship. “How long will this take us?” _Us_ , because he wasn't going to leave the person he considered his friend with that woman, nor was he going to ignore the possibility to meet with Doctor Wolfe.

The agent furrowed her brows. “Quinn assured me no longer than two weeks. One week and a half if the sea's calm.”

Alex glanced at the sky. Two weeks? He could deal with that, though he was easily faster on foot. Plus boats meant  _water_ , and despite not being actually vulnerable against it, he disliked wide open bodies of water. Additionally, the tight enclosed space meant Hell to him. He always had to move, needed space to run- and a ship was only marginally better than an elevator.  
But he wasn't going to move across the land. Not as long this agent Kuo was going to be close to them. Her not lying meant only little to him- it protected her from being consumed instantly, but she could also very well be just a puppet someone else was controlling. If she genuinely believed what she was told, then he wouldn't be able to pick up whether she lied or not. Which meant he was going to keep a close eye on her.

And Dana didn't need him around...Alex cocked his head, turning his attention on the agent fully. “I am afraid I have to follow you then, agent Kuo.”

Her eyebrows drew together. “You don't trust me.” It wasn't a question, but rather a statement. Then she crossed her arms. “That's because of Moya Jones, correct?”

“Amongst others” Alex mimicked her position. Moya had only been the last in a long row of governmental agents who tried to use him or those he wanted to protect for their own agendas.

She hummed for a moment, then nodded. “You can follow me around if it puts your mind at ease then, Mr. Mercer.” Then she turned around and walked away from the pier, and though slightly surprised by the turn of events, Alex trailed after her.

Interesting indeed.

* * *

Zeke stretched his body and yawned widely. Cole merely arched an eyebrow, while Dana rolled her eyes. “Nice tonsils there, Dunbar.”

Cole choked briefly, masking a snort, when Zeke turned his attention towards the woman, expression hurt. “Why is it 'Dunbar', Dana? I thought we were finally on first-name basis?”

She crammed as much ill will as she could into that singular glare of hers. “You lost that privilege when you ate my garlic bread.” She glared harder. “You don't take from a Mercer without paying the consequences.”

Zeke actually shrunk back, especially when suddenly a shadow fell on him. Cole too flinched slightly, having completely failed to notice his arrival. Alex grinned maliciously at them, entirely too many and too sharp teeth glinting in the low light of the nearby street light. “Greene and Blackwatch had to learn that in the end”, he said matter-of-factly, though they all knew what he meant. He leaned a bit to the front, obviously enjoying that Zeke turned white. “It was quite  _delicious_ , in fact.”

Dana chuckled, then slapped his arm playfully to draw his focus away from his friend and allow him room to breathe. “As much as I love seeing you scare the shit out of people that stole my garlic bread, I have to tell you to turn down your creepy a little. It's too early for that.” She handed him her backpack, which he simply slung over one shoulder, before she turned her attention to Cole. He grimaced when her expression turned into a frown. “You alright, Cole?”

Zeke's attention snapped to him immediately, while Alex only inclined his head enough so he could watch his reaction from the corner of his eye. Dana's face showed worry. “You look like shit”, she added.

The Conduit only shrugged. There wasn't much to say to that. He knew he did. Had been startled when he looked in the mirror after getting up. “I'm fine, I think?” He thought for a moment, then shook his head briskly. “No. Not really. I've been sleeping like shit and my stomach's rolling.”

Zeke groaned. “Man, you getting second thoughts? I told you we shouldn't trust that NSA chick!”

Cole rolled his eyes. “I'm not having second thoughts. I think I'm just nervous leaving Empire behind.”

“That's reasonable”, Dana muttered, furrowing her brows. “But then again, the files she showed us yesterday looked legit.” She was silent for a moment, then turned to her brother. “You kept an eye on her, did she do anything suspicious?”

“Nothing far I can tell”, Alex supplied. “Unless you count drinking coffee so black the spoon stands upright.”

“Sounds legit then”, Dana concluded. She frowned at Cole and Zeke. “And maybe your stomach's upset because of this weird shit Zeke's made for dinner yesterday. What was it anyways?”

Zeke shrugged. “Found it at the back of the fridge, so I dunno.”

Dana curled her nose. “I'm surprised you guys are still alive.”

“Hey, you know us, sister”, Zeke grinned, “Too stubborn to kick the bucket.”

“I wouldn't risk it.”

Zeke shrugged. “But at least we're gonna be in New Marais then. Relaxing, party, and the three Bs, Dana. Beers, Booze and the Mechanical Bull.”

“I think you're missing the greater picture”, Alex supplied with his low grumble. “We won't go there for _fun_ , we go there for _information_.”

“Why do these things have to exclude each other?” Zeke whined. “Seriously, working with you is like working with a laser. Always so focused.” He jabbed his finger at Cole. “Since you turned up my best friend stopped kicking back, man.”

The Conduit sighed. “Because this is too important to lose focus, Zeke.” He paused for a moment, then exhaled once. “How about this- we go to New Marais and deal with Wolfe. Then we can spend the remaining time we have to have fun, how does that sound?”

“It sounds _better_ , not _good_ , but I'll take it.”

“Then let's just get over to where Kuo wants us”, Cole added. He glanced at Alex. “Fisherman's Wharf, correct?”

“Quinn”, the Runner supplied.

Zeke nodded. “Good man. Already figured we'll get off this rock with his help. But that chick doesn't mess around. Quinn doesn't trust strangers, yet here she is, getting us the first boat outta town. She got some serious connections.” He paused then, folding his arms across his chest when realization slowly set in. “Uh...We ain't gonna have to walk there, do we? Because I kind of don't want to drag my luggage all the way over there.” He added with a side-glance to his own duffel bag.

“It could only help you drop a few pounds”, Cole felt obliged to point out when a pickup truck slowly pulled up besides them. “But don't worry, I already asked around.” 

“Heard you need a ride, kids.” He watched how Dana's expression lit up when Warden Harms stepped out of his car.

“Hey Warden”, the Conduit greeted. “It's great you volunteered for this.”

“Least I could do”, was his answer. The Warden inclined his head, eying the bags on the floor. “I heard that right, yes? You and your friends are going to leave Empire?”

“Not for long, hopefully”, the Conduit replied. “The trip's going to take-” he eyed Alex, who helpfully supplied “One to two weeks to New Marais. Depending on the weather.”

Cole furrowed his brows. “We try to keep it short, get in, get new powers, and get back. But it is still going to be a month. You sure you won't have any troubles on that front?”

Harms shook his head in reply. “Nope. You and Alex helped taking down the crime rate. We can handle the rest. The men looked up to you, you know, but I'd say you deserve a short vacation.”

“Not gonna be a vacation”, the Conduit corrected him. “More like a learning trip. Over in New Marais is some guy who understands my powers. So I'm going to pay him a visit.”

Harms shrugged as he grabbed Zeke's bag and put it on the truck bed. “To-mah-toe, to-may-to.” Cole just rolled his eyes with a chuckle, then handed his bag over too. Harms glanced at the group, then pointed to his truck. “Who of you is gonna ride shotgun?”

“I'm out of question”, the Conduit declared at once. “I keep shorting cars out.” Was probably the ignition that was shut down by his literal EMP ass, or maybe the gearbox control. And then, for some reason, these dumb things kept blowing up. Wasn't the gas tank, however- liquid gas was hard to ignite, but the chances were the inductive heat he involuntarily generated affected the gas/air mixture in the tank and the pipes. At any rate, he was better off riding in the truck bed, or on top of the car.

“I'm out too”, Alex simply said. He didn't elaborate, and Cole kept his mouth shut. If he would get on, the truck would probably be well beyond its weight capacity.

Zeke grinned at Dana. “Just you and me, sister.” He lifted his fist for a round of rock-paper-scissor. “Two out of three then.”

Alex cleared his throat and just leaned towards him. “That's out of question too. She's got motion sickness.”

“Yup”, Dana chirped gleefully. “I gotta sit in the front or else I puke everywhere.” She placed a hand on Zeke's shoulder in mock apology. “I'm terribly sorry, Dunbar, but I'm afraid you'll have to sit in the back. But hey, at least you can keep Cole company.”

Cole grinned, swallowing the laughter that was trying to get out of his throat once he saw Zeke's betrayed expression. His best friend frowned unhappily, but climbed into the back of the truck anyways, settling against the cabin with a pout like a snotty brat. Cole joined him there, and Dana slipped into the co-driver's seat.

When the truck started moving, the low rumble of the wheels on the street and the engine couldn't mask the feeling of sickness that kept crawling through his stomach. He wasn't sure whether it was  _just_ the nervousness at leaving Empire for herself- she could fend for herself, he was sure, but it just didn't sit right with him.

...If he thought about it, it was the same sort of squirming that accompanied his first meetings with Alex, back then. But it wasn't Mercer. Not anymore- of course he was still the most dangerous thing around, but the terror had lessened drastically ever since he learnt that he was valuable to the other- and not food. Not like Alden, or Sasha, or Moya, or Kessler.

It always remained, though. And now his stomach was crawling in a way he finally translated to  _danger_ . Danger from what?

He didn't know, Empire was the safest she had been ever since three months, crime was nearly non-existent, the people had food and the criminals were all safely locked up in Eagle. Come to think of it, that was probably because Alex tended to eat those that didn't get to the prison complex in time. While the reason wasn't well-known, the people knew of the rumors that the other 'Conduit' in town made people disappear. And after Sasha, not many dared to take chances.

He just  _knew_ he couldn't leave the city alone, but at the same time, he had the possibilities to make a real difference, to become more than he was, learn about his powers- he just had to take it. The anxiousness was probably just his nerves talking. Maybe the water? Cole didn't like water, showering was Hell, but being trapped on a boat for two weeks? Didn't sound inviting.

His stomach started twisting into even tighter knots when Harms stopped at Fisherman's Wharf. He reassured them that everything was going to be okay for as long as they would be gone from Empire. Cole heard himself agree to it, and then the Warden drove off.

The Conduit exhaled once and grabbed his bag tighter, glancing at the pier with the ship at the very end. The pier was, unlike most other docks here, made of pontoons. Big ones that were firmly attached to the harbor basin ground, but they would still sway in choppier water. And with him being vulnerable against the liquid (well,  _any_ conductive liquid, really), Cole was hyper aware of every rocking of the concrete flooring beneath. His stomach continued to roll, and that made it only worse. It was as if his own body tried to stop him from leaving Empire.

He still trudged on, leading the way towards Quinn's ship and up the ramp, where agent Kuo was waiting.

He briefly toyed with the idea to just throw everything, have her bring Wolfe to  _him_ , but then he figured he couldn't draw back now. They were already here, and Kuo went off to talk to Quinn. If he wanted to get out, he'd have to jump the ship (literally) and race off before the others could stop him.

...God damnit. His head was pounding now and it was a little hard to  _focus_ .

“Problems?” Alex's low voice demanded to know. Cole blinked and turned around, eying the other. Who was leaned on the railing with a strained expression. How he _knew_ how Cole was feeling was beyond him- he wasn't even looking into his direction. Was focused on some point in the middle of the city. Who knew which one? Guy had super virus senses, so he wouldn't think it to be impossible for him to read some guy's newspapers from across the city. He never asked what range his senses had, though he could obviously listen in to a conversation across the street and from top of a skyscraper with no problem.

But then realization struck. Because the face Alex was making was a perfect mirror image of the face  _he_ was making. Cole gaped for a moment, then asked carefully “You worried about something?”

Alex snorted. “I'd say no. But that would be a lie.” He turned his attention on the conduit for a moment. “If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's the same thing eating you.” He jerked his chin over his shoulder. “And it has nothing to do with the boat.”

Cole frowned. “I don't know what it is, but it makes my stomach roll and I got a headache going on too.”

The Runner scoffed. “That's how it feels to you?”

“You're different?”

“I don't have internal organs. Or at least not like you”, Alex huffed out, then glanced at Cole. “But I've eaten my fair share of birds. Not to mention I got all kinds of metal in my body- I can _feel_ electromagnetic fields.” He waved his hand vaguely. “And somehow, the field in Empire's screwed up. Not sure since when, but it definitely became worse. I'd say you feel the same.”

Cole blinked. So the creeping malaise that was plaguing him too was because he couldn't focus on the magnetic field? It made sense, since he could sense electric sources, and electromagnetism was just another form he could sense and react to. That would actually fit, seeing as he kept feeling weird when surrounded by too much metal.  
In other words, he was the compass that was spinning out of control. No wonder his head hurt.  
However, and that he realized just then- that also meant that something was  _going on_ in Empire. Something big.

He grit his teeth and turned to Zeke and Agent Kuo. “I can't come with you”, he bit out.

The two of them fell silent immediately, eyes wide as they stared at him. Zeke approached him, sunglasses pulled down to his nose to watch him. “Cole? What's gotten into you?”

“Something's going on in Empire”, he explained with a tense voice. “I don't know what it is- but I don't want to leave her alone. I _can't_ leave her alone.”

Zeke starts to protest, but Dana cut him off, eyes dark. “It's about the Beast, right? You're afraid.”

Cole laughed coldly. “Afraid that it'll turn up and destroys Empire when my back is turned?” Just like it happened when Kessler was still Cole. “Damn right you are.”

Agent Kuo approached him. “Trust me Cole, you'll be ready when you're done working with Doctor Wolfe.”

“I know”, the Conduit replied. “But it's just that- ever since yesterday my stomach's been uneasy about leaving Empire right _now_. I know I should talk to Wolfe as soon as possible, but I just can't leave her behind.”

Kuo seemed a little frustrated, but she masked it good enough. “So you want to meet Doctor Wolfe, and you don't want to leave the city. But perhaps you are aware that you'll need access to his lab for this to work, yes?”

Cole shook his head. “I only need access to someone who had access.” He jerked his head roughly in Alex's direction. “Anything Doctor Wolfe has to say to me, he can tell Alex. Not only would that put me here in the city, where I can deal with the Beast easiest, but it also puts someone into New Marais who understands what all this science babble is about, because frankly, I haven't got a clue.” Not to mention Alex knew perfectly well what working with Wolfe was like- he  _had_ worked with him already, or part of him did anyways.

Zeke was about to protest, though Dana cut him off. “Are you sure you're up to it, Cole? Because that would mean you'd have to remain behind in Empire. Alone.”

“I got Harms. And the others”, Cole shrugged. “I'll be fine. You just need to hurry.” And having only Alex talk to Wolfe had the advantage that he would be faster than a month, since he wouldn't need to take the boat _back_ to Empire. “After that, we can all visit New Marais together. How does that sound?”

It would be the best solution for everybody involved. It was the solution that provided Empire with the protector it needed, while it also put the one who actually  _understood_ the Ray Sphere technology right into the place where this understanding was needed. And Zeke could get a vacation and get away from the city and the demons-

His back went ramrod straight, and his head snapped to the side so fast he feared he dislocated his spine. But it was Alex's snarl- feral,  _inhuman_ \- that told him that shit was on its way to the fan.

It was morning. The sun was peeking through dense clouds, bathing everything crimson- but the light that drowned them came from the North. From Archer Square, where a giant pillar of fire rose from between the buildings.

And then the Archer Square statue just...crinkled up like a paper ball, as if it was  _sucked in_ by some form of invisible force. At the same time, flames and ashes spewed out from the center of the chaos, drowning the entire area with thick dark fog and embers.

Cole was pretty sure he heard people scream.

Without thinking, he just leapt off the boat and dashed back across the pier. He had to help- he had to-  _do something_ .

“MacGrath!” Somebody yelled, but he was deaf to it. He simply barreled headlong into the embers. He plowed past terrified citizens, who tried to get _away_ from whatever it was what was going on.

The ground shook and he stopped, seconds before a building to the side of the harbor simply...collapsed. Sank to the ground with a thunderous rumble. And a giant flaming ball came hurling into his direction- no, not ball- it was a  _bus_ that crossed the distance frightfully fast and impacted into a larger container ship to the side, instantly tearing a hole through its hull and setting the leaking gas aflame. People screamed as they dropped into the churning and burning waters, and the pontoons started heaving like they tried to throw him off. Further down the pier were only bodies left, and he stopped anyways as he noticed  _something_ move in the smoke.

_Something big_ .

There, just over the roof of a building, was a human shape.

A  _giant_ human shape.  
And it was burning.

Cole felt his heart stop when memories that weren't his snapped to the front of his mind. Of his wife and children screaming, of the moon breaking. Of fire and destruction that just kept going on until nothing was left.

The giant turned to face in his direction and just lugged its arm over, throwing whatever was left of the Archer Square monument as a giant flaming projectile into his direction. Cole was rooted to the spot, watching in terror as the metal remains just slammed into the ground in front of him. The impact sent him sprawling, and through the ashes and smoke he lost his orientation too damn fast.

But then there was a hand on his shoulder, pulling him roughly back to his feet. “Cole, get up!” Alex's voice snarled in his ear. It sounded...terrified? Alex wasn't scared of anything, was he?

“Fuck, get yourself together”, the Runner snapped, the shock of the pain lacing his shoulder from the harsh grip yanking the conduit back to reality. “We have to get out of here!”

And yeah, there was really  _panic_ in his voice. Cole wondered about that, when the ground shook again and he slowly turned around.

Locking eyes with the Beast.

* * *

The first sign that shit was about to hit the fan was when his magnetic receptors ran  _havoc_ . He was snarling, before he even realized he did. And then Archer Square blew up and was reduced to rubble and people started screaming. It was like lapsing back into the Outbreak, but that was wrong. There was no infection anymore, no virus to be fought. But the people were screaming. 

By then, Cole had already jumped ship and was dashing down the pier, way before Alex even realized he did. Kuo was yelling after him, but the Conduit was deaf to her voice. He didn't pursue, however, memories gripping him tightly. Not his own, but  _his_ . He remembered the last time he'd seen destruction like this. Remembered the last time he saw fire and smoke, and heard people scream.

Remembered how he watched his best friend die at the hands of the thing that was responsible. Remembered how he watched  _himself_ die at the hands of this thing.

Fear wasn't strange to him, though until now, it had always made him fight harder to overcome it. But  _this_ ? Fear was keeping him rooted to the spot.  
He couldn't- he  _wouldn't_ attempt to face it. Not this thing. Not like this. Not without having a weapon-

“Alex!” Dana's panicked voice snapped him into motion and he leapt after Cole, tearing down the pier and past the fleeing civilians. 

_Bad Idea bad idea bad idea_

And still he pushed on, quickly catching up to Cole, though stopped dead in his tracks when the burning wreckage of a bus came flying across the harbor and completely sank a freight ship to the side, killing everybody on it. Alex grit his teeth, forcing his attention back to the front. No time to think about them. No chance to help them- they had to stop this thing and  _fast_ \- so he wanted to start sprinting, though was forced to go slower than normally because of the shaking pontoons that constituted the ground. He couldn't risk tearing them apart. And then he saw the shape in the smoke and stopped dead in his tracks, fear and memories mingling with each other and rendering him unable to catch up to his friend and protect him from the projectile that crashed into the ground and sent him on his ass.

He did manage to shake himself free and reach him when the Beast simply appeared in front of them, having devastated the pier at its connection to the harbor wall and was now standing in the basin, steam clouds roaring from the boiling water to mix with the ashes and embers and shroud it in a red veil. 

He hissed at it, like a cornered rat in face of a predator, but still started dragging the conduit to his feet. “Cole, get up!” He snarled, eyes flitting between his friend and the Beast. Cole made a curious sound, shaking his head slightly as he attempted to get his bearings back together. Alex grabbed his shoulder harder. “Fuck, get yourself together”, he ordered, then attempted to pull him back. “We have to get out of here!”

He didn't care that his voice was edging on hysteria. This- he was supposed to be ready, but he  _wasn't_ , and his own survival instincts screamed at him to get away as far as possible, to leave the Conduit behind and escape with his life still intact.

Alex crushed those urges mercilessly, but his body was still twisting beneath his skin. The threat was too close and too powerful. This was nothing like facing down Greene, or the Supreme Hunter. Cole was frozen too, eyes locked with that of the Beast as it grabbed and lifted the monument and just...turned it to ash.

It would have been easy to grab him and carry him off, get out of the city and to safety.

Yet he didn't.

Because Cole's jaw set and he ground out a single thing. “We have to stop it.”

Alex didn't question it. Just followed through. His body bristled and armor started to crawl across his arms, shoulders and torso. Stop it. They had to stop it. Here in Empire. Had to stop it before even more people died. Cole should be able to do it. Kessler could have, and Cole had beaten him.

“I'll distract it”, he heard himself say, even though his instincts were screaming at him not to, to flee and get away. He held his ground.

“Distract it?” Cole questioned, lightning already dancing around his body.

“Distract it. All I can do”, Alex insisted, and his Musclemass came into existence. “I don't know whether I can kill it. You have to end this fucker.” Energy was probably a better weapon than brute force, though it didn't mean it wouldn't notice getting stuff thrown at it. He dove to the side and latched onto a small snack booth, tearing it off the pontoon like it was made of cardboard- and chucked it at the Beast. At the same time, Cole fired his orb lightning at the Beast, shouting enraged. “Kessler told me all about you! I will not let it happen!” The snack booth and the lightning bolts hit the thing, but asides from splattering its lava-like surface, there was seemingly no effect. 

Alex snarled and pulled the pontoon free, throwing it too. “The face!” He yelled, “Avoid its body, target its face!” It worked with him, after all. Blind it, make it defenseless. Would hopefully work with this thing too. Cole instantly changed his aim, and the Beast swayed back slightly. Shock or maybe pain, Alex had no idea.

Then it roared and grabbed the pontoons from beneath, and Alex had just a brief moment to realize what it was going to do when it already flipped the pier upward, disintegrating the wood and concrete and sending both of them flying. Alex choked in terror, then instantly twisted in mid-air to shoot his Whipfist at Cole and yank him along when he kicked against the air for an air-dash in an attempt to get distance.

He didn't manage to get distance.  
Instead, they were pulled  _backwards_ , and Alex felt his body ripple as if something was tearing at his Biomass. Then he heard Cole's swear. “Crap, Alex! Get down! Get  _down_ !”

He didn't question, just kicked against the air again and hurtled his body towards the pier, rolling in the last moment to avoid cratering with the Conduit in tow. He hit the pier violently enough that it nearly tipped over from the force of impact, and he didn't wait for it to do so actually, was already running.

“The fuck was _that_?!” He howled over the enraged roar of the giant.

“No clue!” Cole yelled, “Looked like a Black Hole of sorts. Was sucking stuff in-” He inhaled sharply and Alex heard the distinct crackle of lightning as the courier fired several lightning bolts at the Beast from his position propped against his shoulder. “Shit”, He hissed. “It looked like the Ray Sphere did as it blew up.”

Alex grunted in reply. That blow had eradicated all of the pier it had been on and dug open the harbor basin. And the Beast was seemingly capable of controlling this power. That did not bode well.

“Screw this”, He hauled his arm back and just threw his partner several yards down the pier, ignoring his startled yelp. In the same moment, he ducked to the side and dove into the churning water. It was warm- warmer than it should be, but at least he was far away enough to avoid the boiling regions right around the giant. 

The Whipfist turned back into Musclemass and he propelled himself to the front with another air dash, diving right towards the half-sunken freight ship.

There were bodies in the water, trash, and the surface was aflame with burning gasoline. Alex grit his teeth and went for the bottom of the ship that was firmly lodged on the basin floor. Tentacles unfurled from his shoulders and arms, wrapping around the body of the ship. The burning gas didn't harm them, low temperatures like that he could withstand near indefinitely anyways.

Alex ducked and grabbed the keel of the freighter, his tentacles securing the entire body to prevent parts from snapping off- and his feet dug into the soft floor.  
Then he kicked off and hauled the entire ship out of the water and several stories into the air. He had a split second to witness Cole suspended in mid-air with his thrusters emerging from one hand while he fired lightning bolts at the Beast with the other. The giant was roaring, forming a black hole in its hands as it attempted to suck the conduit in again- and Alex just threw the whole ship to the front. The sheer size and weight made it impossible to throw it very far, but it was enough. Several thousand tons in motion hit the Beast and just vaporized it, and the ship hit the other side of the pier with a giant splash that ripped its body and the pier further apart, the waves throwing smaller boats around like they were toys.

Alex hit the pier with a growl and a huff, shaking his arms briskly to get feeling back into them. Cole landed besides him, eyes wide. “Dude”, he said with awe in his voice, “Did you just  _throw a boat_ ?!”

“More like a ship.” He grimaced and rotated his wrists. “I'm not going to do that again.” The pressure on his body had been too much, and he was glad he had the Biomass needed to prevent being crushed beneath the weight. Any less and he wouldn't have managed a stunt like that. As it was, his insides were currently repairing themselves from the massive strain.

“Next time, warn me when you want to throw me around like a ball”, the Conduit grumbled.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing”, the Runner replied with a shrug.

Cole muttered under his breath, staring at the sinking wreckage in the harbor. “Think that was it?”

Alex was about to answer, when giant clouds of steam ripped from the water in front of them, and the Beast rose, roaring enraged. One of its eyes was gone and there were deep tears in its surface, revealing the yellow glow of its lava-like insides beneath it; but other than just pissing it off, being thrown at with a ship didn't seem to have interested it much. Instead, it just grabbed the pontoon and ripped it upwards.

Cole swore under his breath, but kept his balance, and lifted his arms to focus his powers in the ash and steam clouds surrounding the giant. Then he yanked his fists down.

Thunder clapped deafeningly all around them and the bright light of several dozens of lightning bolts impacting into the Beast blinded both of them for a moment. Ten thousand degrees versus a few thousand- the lava body of the Beast was ripped apart through the sheer difference in temperature  _and_ the sudden influx in energy, too much for dissipation to remove it in time. 

At the same time, Alex forced pressure to build within himself, not about to be outdone by a mere  _human_ \- and when more lightning bolts smashed into the already damaged form of the Beast, he let the pressure go by throwing his palms to the front. Densely packed tentacles shot from his palms like a cannon blast, driving themselves right through the burning body of the Beast and breaking whatever support structure it had. He grit his teeth at the feeling of the hot insides eating away at the Biomass he just introduced- but his dense form acted as shield for himself, and when he pulled the Devastator back, he left behind a hole and had only lost the surface of his tentacles. He could deal with it.

The Beast however, could not.  
It collapsed backwards, crashing into the waves with a giant splash, directly followed by the pontoon they were on. Steam rose from the churning waters, and the pier was getting too instable for them to enjoy their victory. Alex grabbed Cole's arm and just pulled him back. “Let's get out of here”, he growled. The Conduit grunted and turned around to sprint over what was left of the construction. The damage and waves were too much, and the single pontoons were heaving and thrashing, as if trying to throw them off. Alex dodged a breaking part once and stomped down on another to fracture it and reduce the stress on the remaining parts. “That was damn impressive.”

“Bastard got what he deserved”, Cole smirked back, but there was a strain in his features. He had been releasing massive amounts of energy, and the stress was plainly visible on his face. He would need rest once they were out of Empire. 

There was a fine tremor, and the pier continued to collapse. Cole stopped, eyes widening at the sight of the gap between the still somewhat solid parts of the way and the collapsed portions.

Alex scoffed and knelt down, jabbing his talons into the ground to unravel his Biomass throughout, stabilizing it. “I got this. You just get over there.”

“Thanks” Cole kicked off again and made a mad dash to the edge of the pier that Alex lifted from the water to form a ramp. He jumped off with all his strength and soared through the air-

And was stopped in mid-air.

The Conduit hung there, suspended, and his arms waved a little in confusion- seconds before he was yanked back.

A giant hand closed around him in a crushing grip. Alex swore and tore himself free the very second the Beast made its reappearance. He could see Cole flailing in its hand, could see Zeke and Kuo and Dana stare in horror at the entity that somehow was still alive despite missing half its head and having a hole punched through its chest cavity.

He didn't  _think_ , just acted. He launched himself off the cracking pier and catapulted himself high into the air, then angled his body and shot back downwards with his foot outstretched. He slammed hard into the Beast's wrist, just as Cole continued firing bolts at the thing. The impact was tremendous, and the giant swayed slightly, but it then tried to swat at the Runner to force him to back off. 

_Fuck this_ .

Alex corrected his position in mid-air, air dashing back towards the giant and slamming into it again to bounce off and upwards. It made a disgruntled noise, but was distracted by Cole firing another lightning bolt straight into its face, so it used its previously free hand to close it around its fist in an attempt to crush the Conduit. Alex thought he could hear his bones creak, and knew perfectly well that there was no time. So he changed his trajectory again and slammed hard into the back of its neck. He dug his claws into the lava-like surface, gritting his teeth against the heat that was starting to eat into his system.

He forced the sensation down, focusing on concentrating his Biomass in tighter and tighter curls. He knew he was going to lose a large chunk of himself through this, but it was the only thing he could think of that would possibly work. The only thing he could think of that would  _save_ Cole. 

So he jabbed his claws inside and released the pressure, wrenching a massive Groundspike Devastator from his system and jabbing story-tall black spires of condensed Biomass through the Beast. It jerked back in pain, roaring.

“COLE!” Alex howled over the roar of superheated air, hoping the Conduit would realize what he had planned.

He did.

The sky shattered as giant bolts of lightning rained down, using the Groundspikes in themselves as conductors to dissipate their charge deep into the giant's system. Alex had numbed his nerves in preparation, but it still  _hurt like fuck_ and he already felt light-headed from the loss of Biomass- but the Beast was suffering a lot more.

Lightning bolts tearing it apart, Groundspikes shredding its insides- there was one last giant explosion and it just blew up, parts of lava and bits of scorched Blacklight scattering across the harbor. Alex hit the water hard and instantly sank to the bottom, head pounding and body aching in a way he hadn't felt for a long while. He was exhausted beyond anything he'd ever felt before and briefly toyed with the thought of simply staying down here and just...sleep.

But he couldn't. Forcing his limbs to move, he gave off another air dash to get back to the bottom of Quinn's ship, eyes focusing on a small dark spot in the water above him. There were weak sparks surrounding it, but the body in itself didn't move. Damn, was he face down or face up?

Alex didn't know, so he kicked off the ground and shot straight upwards, grabbing the limp form and breaking surface to get on deck.

When he hit the solid surface, his knees buckled underneath him and he simply collapsed, talons digging into the ground so he wouldn't keel over.

“Cole!” Dunbar yelled, racing towards them, just as Dana added her own “ALEX!” He grunted and squinted at them, eyes slipping out of focus.

Ah, fuck this. He groaned and just dropped the Conduit, stumbling to his knees. “Alex!” Dana was there, grabbing his shoulder to stabilize him. “Shit Alex, you okay?”

“Not really”, he huffed out, slumping against the railing. “Gonna...need some rest.” He turned his attention back on Dunbar and Agent Kuo. “How's he?” He ground out.

“Alive”, Kuo declared.

“Good”, Alex grunted and shoved himself upright, then staggered to the inside of the ship with Dana's help. He didn't feel too well anyways. His head was strangely fuzzy, and his lungs felt like they were filled with burning air. Every step he did, every breath he took just hurt. 

A little rest should fix it, he figured.  
And after that- after that they would have to figure out what to do from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first Chapter that's no longer something I deem a Prologue- and well...looks like our heroes just got knocked down all the pegs. Guess now the only way is up?  
> Cole (in the background): "You underestimated me! I brought my shovel and I'm ready to dig!"
> 
> On a side note, I know the Beast arrived in the evening. But that would have thrown some of my plot over, so I changed the time.


	5. Collateral Damage

Cole's head felt like it was filled with cotton, and his body was like lead. He had a short moment to realize that he was somewhere soft, when a white noise started pounding at the inside of his skull.

He tried to tune it out, but the static quickly crawled through his limbs and settled somewhere in his middle as a low-simmering fire. He grunted and attempted to focus on something else, but he couldn't. Might as well try and get up then.

When he first opened his eyes, they didn't focus correctly. Everything was dark above him, so he blinked slowly again and the picture cleared. Good news there, he wasn't on the floor or in the water- he was in a room of sorts. Further exploration revealed a row of lockets to one side, a small oxygen tank which he was hooked up to, a chair with Zeke in it and a television on a low cupboard. Zeke was asleep  and - _thank God_ \- apparently unhurt, though Cole's body was wrapped in gauze, and band-aids were stuck to his temple. His ribs apparently had taken the brunt of the force, and his skin had the kind of deep red color that usually accompanied a light burn. He probably looked a lot worse when they dragged him in. Cole grunted and pulled the oxygen cannula out of his nose, then sat up while ignoring the flaring pain from his mid section.

His eyes found the television, and his heart stopped. He didn't hear anything the news reporters said, didn't listen to their convict- but he gathered enough to realize that  _he had lost_ .

He had completely obliterated the Beast, had it  _splattered_ across the harbor of Empire- and it had simply  _put itself back together_ , and evaporated the city.

Empire City was  _gone_ .

Roger. Lou. Harms. Linda.  _Trish_ . Everybody else. His stomach dropped out from under him and the world spun out of control.

_He had lost_ . Kessler had went back in time to fashion him into the weapon meant to destroy the Beast- and still  _he had lost_ .

He groaned and dropped his head against his knees, a sob wrenching itself out of his throat. It startled Zeke, who jumped with a snort. “Wha-?” He rubbed his eyes and turned to the television, lips curling in distaste. “You've seen it, huh?” Cole moaned in reply and Zeke shut the set off. “They've been showing this feed for the past few hours in a loop.”

“Hours?” Cole ground out, his throat feeling like sandpaper. Zeke handed him a glass of water and waited until he had swallowed before he continued. “You've been out for a day and a half, man. Just an hour after we hauled ass, this big guy turned up again.”

“I failed, Zeke”, the Conduit hissed. “I fucking failed, man. I was supposed to be ready, but I _wasn't_. And now Empire's gone!”

His friend sighed, then slowly reached out to rub his shoulder. “Yeah, I know. I can't know how you feel, man, but I know it's gotta suck. You did a good attempt, though.”

“It wasn't _enough_ ”, Cole bit out, eyes flashing. “And Empire is _gone_ , Zeke! Everybody we ever knew, every place we visited, every thing we owned- _gone_!”

“I know”, Zeke deflated visibly, taking off his glasses to look at his friend. “I _know_ \- we've been there. Still workin' on believin' it, though.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes, and Cole noticed how tired he looked. “But we can't do anything now. We're lucky we got off alive, so now we gotta meet this Doctor Wolfe and bend everything back into shape.”

Yeah, because now this decision was no longer a decision- now they had no other  _choice_ but to do.  
Or die.

“What happened?” He asked. “After I- after I passed out?” He remembered the Beast grabbing him tightly enough so his bones were pulverized, he remembered the story-tall black spears that had ripped its body apart, he remembered the lightning storm he shot in its face (so much it actually cleared the sky for a moment), he remembered being fried in a way that reminded him vaguely of the Substations because it was so much more painful; but after that? He had blacked out and woke up here.

Zeke was turning the glasses in his hands. “After the big guy blew, it took most of the pier with it. We were about to try and get you out when Alex suddenly jetted outta the water and dragged you along. But guy didn't look so good, he just kind of dropped you on deck and staggered off. Quinn and me, we brought you down here and Kuo somehow pulled the equipment outta nowhere and hooked you up.”

Cole groaned, swinging his legs out of the bed, noticing that he wasn't wearing anything asides from his underwear. “Ah shit. How bad is it?”

Zeke grimaced. “Your ribs were broken to the point you couldn't breathe right anymore. You had burns all over your lower body and your clothes are kind of scrap too.”

The Conduit blinked, then shook his head. “Not me. How's  _he_ ?” Because he was pretty sure Alex got the worse deal out of them both. He knew these Devastator attacks drained his own health, and he hadn't exactly fought safe either- sticking his own body into what was basically lava couldn't be healthy either. And he was the only one who could, even without Wolfe's help, find out how to stop the Beast.

“I dunno”, Zeke admitted. “I've been with you ever since we got you here. Haven't seen Alex since he pulled you from the drink. You gotta ask Dana. Or Kuo.”

“I'm going to do that”, Cole declared, though his voice sounded tired even to his ears. For his part, Zeke didn't stop him, just pointed him towards their bags so he could get dressed. Then Cole left the room and headed outside.

But he didn't feel right. His body was sluggish, white static roared inside his ears and focusing on anything even remotely related to his powers jabbed rods of white-hot pain through his skull. As he forced his legs to move, he quickly realized that he didn't remember walking out of the room and getting into the middle of the hallway. He stopped, gnawing at his lower lip as he tried to figure out what to do. The band-aids on his temple indicated he had suffered some head trauma, and that probably caused a few holes in his consciousness. Maybe he should lay back down and wait until he fixed himself?

Then he shook his head and pressed on. It would heal, it always did. He would just need to take it slow until it did. First he had to see how the others were.  
The sound of heels drew his attention, and he heard a serious “Cole”, before he even turned around. Kuo was just a few feet away from him, expression equally relieved and slightly annoyed? He couldn't comprehend it very well, his head hurt.

She grabbed his wrist and was about to steer him back to his room, though he simply shook his head. “I'm fine, Kuo. I just need to stretch my legs”  _Get my thoughts back together_ . “I'm going stir crazy already and I've been awake only a few minutes”, he added as soon he saw her expression.

The agent sighed. “I can understand it. I-” She grimaced slightly, “I had thought that you actually managed to defeat this thing, and that this trip was more like an additional bonus. That it came back so fast...” She trailed off with a long exhale. “It's...horrible what happened. I think all of us underestimated how much of a threat it is.”

Cole's teeth grit together.  _Underestimated_ . They should have  _known_ what it was. They should have went to Doctor Wolfe  _immediately. Why didn't Alex say a word about this?_

“Do you know where Alex is?” He bit out, clenching his fists in sudden anger.

Kuo glanced at him, then sighed again. “He and Dana have taken residence in one of the storage rooms above the engine room. But Cole-” she made a face, “Be careful.”

He furrowed his brows, then shook his head. “I need to ask him. About everything.”  _Because he should have known. He should have warned us. Should have told me about Wolfe._

“I won't stop you”, She continued making her way down the hallway, before she added “I've got to talk to Quinn. Maybe get him to give me access to his communication system. This is the sort of thing I have to inform my superiors about.” Then she was off. Cole grunted and walked outside on deck. He didn't see anyone, and his head hurt when he tried to use his radar sense (of course, it was questionable whether it would actually _work_ with all the metal around), so he slowly circled the deck in search of a crew member. He eventually found one, near the poop deck. When he went up to him to ask, the man jumped startled, and kept shaking the whole time Cole was questioning him. When the Conduit left, he had the feeling the man was only all too glad to have him off his back.

It triggered something in his head, but it was hurting too much to make sense of it, so he decided to think about it later, when he was healed.   
The oppressive heat that slapped him in the face when he descended into the belly of the ship only made his headache worse and worsened his mood instantly. While it didn't smell of oil or gas too strongly, the constant thrum of the engine was driving shards of pain through his skull. Why in the world would anybody spent any time here _voluntarily_?!

Cole still pressed on, and he did find the room Kuo mentioned. Mostly because there were hand-drawn signs on the door that advised whoever was around to not open it and just ignore the inhabitant.

He ignored the signs and walked through, expecting...he wasn't sure what he expected. Certainly not Alex curled up in a corner though. Cole blinked first, then approached him. No reaction from him, so he stepped closer until he was just inches from him.

There was still no reaction, not even any form of respiration. It worried him a lot, so he crouched down and carefully reached out to place a hand on his forearm.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.” To give him credit, he didn't fumble, though he couldn't really suppress the shiver running down his back. He hadn't realized that there was somebody else around here, and when he jumped to his feet and spun around, a brief dizzy spell forced him to lean to the side and grab the wall until it had passed. This spoke volumes for how shitty he actually felt, and he couldn't quite smother the pained whine from his throat.

Dana seemed concerned, because she gently took hold of his arm and steered him over to where a folding chair and a cot stood. While Cole dropped on the cot hard, she sat down on the chair more gently. He blinked slowly, and glanced around.

“You living here?” He asked dumbly. 

Dana just shrugged. “It's far from the worst place I've stayed at, but if it wasn't for my idiot brother, I'd be over in the cabin next to yours. But...” She trailed off with a glance at her brother. “He picked a warm place to hunker down. And I stick with him.”

Cole furrowed his brows, glancing first at the young woman wearing short pants and a black tank-top, then to the still figure in the corner. He finally noticed what struck him as odd- he was still having his armor spread across parts of his body, and the claws were propped on his knees.

“He didn't change back”, he pointed out eventually.

“He didn't”, Dana agreed.

“What happened?” Cole asked. “Zeke told me he dragged me back out, and brought me on board.”

Dana sighed. “I don't really know. Guess he swallowed too much damage from the big guy, because he started getting unsteady pretty fast. Never seen him before like that, though he said it wasn't the first time he was like that.” She fanned her hands away from her, palms up. “He told me he was going to sleep. Try to repair the damage done without having to waste energy on being awake.”

Cole blinked. “So he's hibernating?”

Dana grimaced. “Nah. Cute animals hibernate. Like hedgehogs or dormice, or gophers. What he's doing is more like what snakes and lizards do. He just...shuts down.”

“You know how long this is going to take?” Because he had to ask him about this, had to ask whether he _knew_.

“No idea”, the woman admitted. “I think I _can_ wake him should the need arise, but I'm seriously voting for just letting him be for now.” 

He sighed. “Yeah, I get it. It can wait.” He climbed back to his feet now that the dizzy spell was over, and headed back outside. “I...just going to take a breather.”

“Cole”, her voice stopped him, and when he turned he noticed her watch him. “You ever need help, or just someone to talk to- I'll be there.”

“I'll think of it.”

* * *

Maybe he should have taken her up on that offer. Because he was so damn  _alone_ . The other refugees, the crew members- they all gave him a wide berth; whether from fear or respect he couldn't tell. He suspected the former, mostly because they  _must_ have seen the light show he produced when he tried to stop the Beast.   
Stopped it, actually. For a few hours.

Not that it helped the others any. Because they were gone.

Grunting, he pushed himself off the railing and just wandered across the ship. He checked up on Zeke, but his friend was ignoring him in favor of his work that required welding, obviously. Kuo wasn't receptive either, she spent most of her time with Quinn and his crew, doing super-secret spy work with her connections.

He decided against going to Dana for attention, and continued to sulk instead. He was supposed to be able to defeat the Beast. Was supposed to be strong enough to take it down- and he had failed  _hard_ .

He barely slept in the night, had nightmares of fire and smoke and people dying. Dying because he didn't protect them. He woke with a jolt, not even remembering what he dreamed about, and just sat there with his head in his hands as he attempted to get his breathing back under control.

And then he heard the radio warble from the next cabin over.  
Philadelphia just ceased to exist. Two more million people dead because he was  _weak_ .

Snarling, he slammed his fist into the locker at his side, completely caving in the metal and snapping the lock off. His eyes flashed and sparks began crawling across his body.  _Not going to be weak again_ .

He slipped off the bed and grabbed his pants, threw on a t-shirt and walked out to the deck. His fists were clenched and lightning crawled across his wrists- though every time they snapped out of his skin it sent a white-hot shard of pain through his brain.

_Never weak again_ . He stepped to the side railing, curled one hand around it- and lifted the other to target the sea several yards away from the ship. The conductivity of the water would dissipate the charge, and even powerful blows like a lightning strike lost all strength at a distance of six to nine feet.

Not that he planned to use anything resembling a lightning strike anyways. The simple act of sparking was already causing his head to hurt. He grit his teeth and focused on his basic lightning bolt. At first, there was nothing, but then, with a frustrated shout, he generated a singular lightning bolt that raced through the air and hit the sea, dissipating the energy instantly and leaving only a small white puff of steam behind. The headache pulled the ground out from beneath Cole's feet and sent him stumbling towards the floor, while still clinging desperately to the rail.

But some of his powers were still there. He grunted and heaved himself back upwards, catching his breath first. Then he grit his teeth and fired another lightning bolt. This time, the strain just shook his legs. The next just hurt inside his head.

And the more he forced himself to use his powers, the more he started getting a feeling back for them. And he figured which ones he still had. Absorbing energy still worked. Hovering and grinding still worked. His healing (of himself and others) and constriction were still present. And his radar, once it was no longer obstructed through pain, was even better than before, as strange as it sounded. Before, metal blinded him to what was behind it. Now it was only another obstacle the electromagnetic waves bounced off of, but they didn't get dissipated away- like a real radar. Electrical sources were visible even through thin metal sheets, and he could see the cables beneath the panels on the floor.

However, his other abilities were gone.

He no longer had access to his explosive ball lightning. He didn't have control over lightning storms. He couldn't generate grenades anymore.

But he hadn't lost  _everything_ . He hadn't lost  _yet_ .

And that thought kept pushing him further. Lightning was roaring across the sea, and the continued fire boiled the surface. Cole was feeling exhausted and sweat was clinging to his back- but the headache was gone and his legs were stable again.

“Whoah man”, He grunted and turned slightly, eying Zeke who approached him while he was experimenting with his powers. “I didn't think you'd be bouncing back that fast.”

“I have to”, Cole replied, firing off another lightning bolt in a wide arch. “Because I was too weak. I will never be weak again.”

“Yeah, about that”, he turned to face his friend, who was holding what looked like a over-sized tuning fork. “I think I might have something for you.”

Cole cocked his head and watched how Zeke attached a power line to the fork and fed it into what looked like a control unit. “So the idea behind this thing was this”, he explained. “Your lightning bolts go  _everywhere_ . But you can't really control where they go. More even, you zap people and they mostly remain okay.” He gestured to the fork. “Now when you use this thing, I thought you can channel your powers through it- and smack them guys with additional lightning damage real hard.” He beamed at him, handing the fork over. “And you can circumvent their skin resistance too.”

“Great. I was tired of punching people in the face. With this thing it'll be a lot more fun.” Cole tested the weight of the fork. It was crudely pieced together, made of rusty metal pipes and old isolators attached to the tips, but it felt solid.

He swung it experimentally, then clenched it hard in his hands and focused a little- and lightning snapped from either tip and bounced from one side to the other- but because of the isolators, the energy wasn't lost outwards. It was an extension of Cole's body- one that couldn't be hurt. A weapon for him to use.

And the next days, he trained with it. Zeke was spending nearly every waking minute with him, building up small target areas of old wood for Cole to thrash with his new fork weapon. Zeke kept upgrading it, made it better, welded stronger metals together. It didn't go unnoticed that he tried to get back to how they've been before Empire went to shit. It was okay, because it meant that he wasn't alone anymore.

And he seriously needed someone to lean on right now. Because as the days passed, Kuo told them of more cities and towns destroyed. She told them of refugee camps being wiped out, of the Beast appearing at random along the coast, with no-one being able to stop it.

It only reinforced his decision to stop the entity. But they had to be fast. For now, they had some good distance to the Beast already, had circled the Florida Peninsula just in the night before and were now passing along the Gulf of Mexico. Cole had finished his training for the day, had eradicated what felt like half the furniture on the ship, and was having lunch on deck with Dana and Zeke when Kuo approached them with a concerned expression on her face. Asides from that, Cole realized, there weren't much indicators that she was being worried. Hair and suit were still in tip-top condition, and Cole wondered whether she had several suits of the same make with her.

“I have news”, she began. “Not _bad_ ones”, she added as soon as she noticed their expressions shift rapidly. “But I just learnt that there are matters complicating the situation.”

“It's not the Beast”, Dana threw in. “It's too far away- what is the problem?”

“New Marais is under lockdown”, the agent said simply.

“Lockdown?” Zeke echoed. “Like...they won't let us off this barge there?”

“No” She furrowed her brows. “I think I have to start from the beginning- you know, since Hurricane Katrina New Marais has been partly flooded. Ever since that time, a militia under the leadership of one Joseph Bertrand claimed jurisdiction.”

“Ah, those guys”, Cole scoffed. He waved his hand a little at her surprised expression. “Zeke and I, we've been to New Marais, back when we plunked college. Tried to get a new perspective. Get away, stuff like that. Anyways, it's where we encountered parkour, and I started Urban Exploration. We didn't have much money, so we got most food from nicking it off those hicks. Didn't harm them, because they were assholes anyways, they pushed the cops around.”

Zeke chuckled. “We made a sport pissing those idiots off”, he admitted. “Hell, those were the times. Good times, Cole.”

The Conduit was grinning a little. “Yeah. Good times.” Simpler times, with no world that needed saving.

Kuo sighed simply and shook her head, though there was the ghost of a smile on her face. “Well, looks like those 'hicks' got at least most of the lockdown down pretty good. It's tight. No ship clears its load there without their say-so. Betrand got everything under control- but there is a way in where his defenses are going to be weakest.” She pulled a map from her bag and just spread it on the floor. She gestured to the territory surrounding the city. “The swamp's a massive area that he can't control. The inhabitants are less than happy with him, and are surely willing to help us in.” She leaned back, hand on her chin. “They might offer us refuge and assistance too, if we ask nicely.”

“So you're wanting to go in from the bayous”, Dana concluded. She cocked her head. “You got a plan? Cause this boat's too big for the swamps.”

“I managed to get through to a trawler captain”, Kuo declared. “He agreed to meet us just shy off the five mile border, pick us up- and get us into the swamp village. From there, we're on our own.”

“How are we going to get back _out_ , once we've met with Wolfe?” Cole heard himself asking. Because he still had to stop the Beast then. It had beaten him once, it wouldn't get a second chance.

“Same way”, the NSA agent claimed. “Or we manage to sneak out through the swamp and get to the highway a little way off. Militia doesn't have any rights outside the city limits.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Yeah, but how about we first take some time and see the sights?” Zeke questioned. “I mean, whatever this Wolfe person is planning, it'll take a while. Who says we're just here for work. Let's live a little!”

“Sure”, Cole scoffed. “We're being refugees and we're illegal. Betrand's going to look away then.”

“Illegal only makes it more fun”, Zeke pointed out. “Anyways, I still got a few friends there. Or I hope I do, from last time. Let's see what we can cook up. Pretty sure they got some room to spare for the four of us.”

“Five. You forgot Alex”, Dana said simply.

“Alex doesn't need a place to sleep, if you get my meaning.”

“But it's less suspicious if we have enough room for all of us instead of telling them that one will be sleeping in the tub.”

“She got a point there, Zeke.” Cole blinked, then turned to Dana. “What about Alex, anyways? He got messed up pretty bad, you think he'll be ready to take down the Militia if necessary? ”

“I hope so”, was her answer. “At any rate-” She grimaced painfully. “Right now, he's probably better at removing obstacles like the Militia anyways. He gets like that, and he can't really _not_ kill. It's just how he is.” And the Militia was made of food to him anyways, so he would probably be okay once he got his meal. Cole paled and quickly put his food down, seeing as the idea of eating lost all its appeal when thinking about hicks as a source of it. (Black tentacles, people screaming as their bodies were torn apart and dragged into what had been a person before)

He grit his teeth and shook his head, forcing himself to think of something else, and not  _that_ . A trawler. Kuo had gotten a trawler for them to get into New Marais. (Alden screeching in panic as he was devoured alive). They would be switch boats just off the coast. (He's eaten Kessler's body. He's eaten his future self's corpse while it was still warm). Five miles off the coast, then they'll sneak in through the swamps. (Moya and Sasha too).

Cole forced himself to think of what he'll do once he had whatever powers Wolfe was going to unlock in him. Didn't try to think of the people they were going to feed to his friend while they were there. But they would have to. Alex had willingly let himself be injured by the Beast despite being deadly scared of this thing (Cole knew, had recognized it when they fought), and he saved his sorry ass from drowning.

So if he needed to snack on some guys, he was more than welcome to do so. No matter what he thought about it.

The Conduit shook himself briefly, then turned to Kuo. “How long until we're close enough?”

“We should reach the meeting place in the afternoon tomorrow. With some luck, we'll be meeting Doctor Wolfe at the evening.”

“Good.” He climbed to his feet and stretched his limbs, then grabbed the fork weapon. “We still got some time left for testing this out. I think the welds need to be stronger.” That, and he was still having disturbing images in his head. He knew he couldn't help himself, knew he was aware how it looked to others, but also knew that there was nothing he could do instead.

“Definitely, brother”, Zeke agreed, most likely picking up on his mood. “We don't want it to snap in the middle of battle.” 

“Yeah, and I'm going to need the radio”, Dana piped up.

“What for?” Kuo asked.

“Need to contact someone. He's got to know we're still alive and where we're headed. Pretty sure we can count on him to help us.”

Kuo didn't seem too happy about that, though Cole intervened before she could say something. “Do that. If there's a chance to win, I want it.”

He trusted the girl to know her shit, so he was more than okay with her making contact with somebody she knew. The more allies they had, the better.”

Without any more complaints, he continued to thrash some more of targets until way after sunset.

However, despite the exhaustion, Cole didn't sleep that night.

* * *

“Hey, I knew this guy. He was Blacklight.”

Voices? There were  _people_ there. But...something wasn't right. 

“Yeah. Well now he's ex-Blacklight.”

Was too familiar. Had already happened? Was happening right now?

“His name is...Mercer, Alex J. Next of kin, Mercer, Dana A. Is that his wife?”

No, no. This was wrong. Not voices from outside. Voices from the  _inside_ of his head. His  _memories_ .  
His memories of...before. Long before. It was all over now. They weren't relevant anymore. But...what had happened in the nearer past? Something must have...  
_Oh._ Fire and pain. Being burned alive while...trying to rescue somebody? Or kill somebody? Both? Thinking hurt, as if his brain was actively fighting against him. Felt like it was stretched to its limits. His whole body hurt, the more he thought about it. Felt too warm and too...strained. 

He remembered voices. Remembered...looking for a warm place to stay?  
Not enough. He needed awareness.

Because...because he wasn't  _supposed_ to be unconscious. Wasn't supposed to be without awareness. Because he  _remembered_ . Remembered the last times he was gone. The thing burrowed into his shoulder. Feeding off him, weakened him, his body unable to reject it, so he lost awareness to the outside. Was trapped within himself.  
After that, being burnt to pieces, nothing more than a puddle on the floor. Dangerous to anything around him, until he regained his senses. Had happened...some times already? Plural, wasn't good.

Hurt too much to think. Needed to be awake to process- or unconscious. But latter wasn't an option, which left only one way to deal with this. Waking up.

He grunted. The first sound he made in...quite a while, he thought, and forced himself to open his eyes. It was dark, though there were shapes in the gloom. He blinked again, then leaned his head against the wall next to him and waited until his eyes focused. It went slower than before, mostly because there wasn't the usual short blindness that accompanied the shifting of his retinas when he changed his sight.

Wait. His retinas didn't shift.  
And that thought jostled him upright. He staggered to the side however, his legs refusing to take his weight, though when he hit the wall, the sensation was muted. It sent a panicking spike through his consciousness, and when he twisted his head to look, he saw what he was expecting to see. Armor in places where leather should be.

He hadn't changed back. It...had never happened before. He had collapsed before, but always reverted to his usual appearance. Now he hadn't- patches of armor coated his chest, back and arms. Along his neck too. Hell, there were some even along his legs. His hands were giant talons still.

“Fuck” His first word sounded harsh to his own ears. Breathless, like he wasn't used to speaking. Must have inhaled too much of the embers when fighting the Beast. His throat felt raw. It shouldn't be, should already be healed.

But it wasn't.

He grit his teeth and closed his eyes to focus. Tried to force his body to repair itself. There was no change in his structure. He couldn't feel himself shift beneath his skin.  
That wasn't good. He gnawed on his lower lip as he lifted his hand and attempted to change it back. His flesh didn't squirm like it usually would. Instead, he only felt...tense. Like a bow stretched too taut. Then he heard steps and tried to glance over his shoulder, though the plates constituting his neck were too unyielding for it so he opted for turning his entire body towards the door.

“Alex, you're awake.” Dana stopped in her tracks, though her expression just screamed relief.

He rolled his tongue over his teeth briefly, then shook his head. “How long?” He managed to press out, sounding hoarse.

“Nearly two weeks”, she replied, then stepped closer with a deep frown on her face. “You look like shit”, she said as she picked up her rucksack and strapped it on her back.

Alex scoffed. “I feel like it, actually.” He fanned his claws again. “I don't think I can change back.”

“Oh”, Dana grimaced. “That...won't be helpful. You know, we _are_ trying to sneak in, though I doubt you can do it looking like that.”

He was confused at her tone. “Looking like what?”

Dana made a face again and just gestured for him to follow. He let her lead, curious about what she had planned until she pointed at a simple steel door deep in the belly of the ship. The smell emanating from it told him enough- it was a toilet.

And toilets usually had sinks- and mirrors. He cringed slightly at the sudden biting light from the loud buzzing fluorescent lamp above, but then he adjusted and caught sight of his own reflection.  
Well, he did look like Alex. Mostly. But even the first glance was wrong. His skin was too pale, paler than it was usually (and he already looked like death warmed over), his eyes seemed more silver than blue, more inhuman than before, though the most obvious changes were the patches of armor that still coated much of his upper torso and collar, and the claws that replaced his hands. The pieces of chitin melted into the cloth of the Biomass resembling clothes the wrong way- usually there should be sharp edges, but those looked more like melted wax, more like how the skin of Infected looked like. The colors were off, more washed out and brownish instead of black, and there were sickly reddish spots of blistered skin along his joints.

And he couldn't change back. Groaning, he dragged his palm down his face. “Fuck”

Dana furrowed her brows. “You think this is going to be permanent?”

He grit his teeth. “I hope not.” The last time he had lost some of his transformations, it hadn't taken longer than a few days. But this was different to the parasite. He wasn't being eaten from the inside-out, and he wasn't in much pain other than the tense feeling that was spreading through his system. However, unlike the other time, he couldn't transform  _at all_ . And from the raw feeling in his throat, he wasn't healing well either. This never had happened before. It was...worrisome.  _What if Blackwatch had ever found something like that? Would he had made it out of Manhattan in the first place?_

He wasn't sure, and that didn't sit well with him. He bared his teeth at his own reflection and turned away abruptly, eying Dana. “This isn't important at the moment”, he growled. “We have to find a way to stop the Beast.” If they didn't stop it, he wouldn't survive for long anyways. He knew what had happened/will have happened in another time. He had to cut corners and trust in somebody else. It was hard for him, to trust. But realistically, he was aware that Cole had much better chances at taking down this walking mass of lava.

He eyed his claws for a short moment, then turned back to his sister. “What's the plan?”

She sighed. “Militia got control of New Marais. They aren't going to let us in, so Jane Bond decided to sneak in through the bog. Once we're in, Zeke and I are going to look for a hideout to use as base, you and Cole let Jane Bond show you the way to this Doctor Wolfe.” She paused for a moment, grimacing. “I called Cross”, she admitted.

“Cross?”

“Yeah. Wasn't sure I'd get through to him, and I didn't really tell him where we were, except for New Marais. But this is too important- he can help.”

Dana had called for Blackwatch. It was- it wasn't as bad as it sounded. Like she already said, they would need his help. If only as meat shield- but his knowledge of Blacklight could maybe shed some light on what happened.

And maybe Blackwatch would be able to stop the Beast. If they had nukes at their disposal, there probably wasn't much that they weren't able to destroy.

“If he turns up, tell him I want to talk to him.”

Dana relaxed slightly, folding her arms over her chest. “Speaking of which-I think Cole wanted to talk to you. You better figure out what he wanted unless you want it to sit between us and come up at the worst time possible.”

He exhaled through the nose- something he did on habit, not because he  _needed_ to breathe. But like the strain on his body, this time it felt...strange. Or maybe he was just over-thinking things.  _Focus. Needed focus. New Marais. New Marais was good focus._

“How long till we get there?”

“The trawler that'll take us to the bayous was just arriving when I came to get you”, Dana explained. “C'mon. The quicker we jump ship, the less likely someone is going to notice what's going on.”

Was probably the best idea here. Alex snorted and just shrugged. Dana led the way, back towards the deck- though as soon they stepped a foot outside, the refugees and crew members that crossed their paths jumped back in horror. Alex scowled at them and flexed his claws, forcing himself to  _not_ jump them. He  _hated_ how they acted, hated that they acted like  _prey_ . He tried to keep still, but every time they flailed, all his senses supplied him with what he needed to make the kill.

He hated it, because he was low on Biomass. He was hungry. It wasn't bad at the moment, but at any rate uncomfortable. And being locked on a ship with what he considered prey was just like having a fox inside a hen house. At least to Alex, who was doing his best to wrestle down the urge to simply  _maul_ the flailing humans to make them silent.

But obviously they were a lot smarter than those he'd seen in Manhattan, because they quickly cleared the deck, letting him breathe freely. He felt Dana's comforting squeeze at his shoulder, and her voice was soothing, even though it wasn't directed at him.

“Hey guys!”

Alex followed her line of view, glancing at the shapes of Dunbar, Cole, Agent Kuo and Quinn. None of them seemed worse for wear. Once they noticed them, however, a brief shimmer of shock and horror crossed their features before it settled into worry and confusion.

“ _Sainte mère!_ ” It took Alex a moment to realize that the language was neither uttered from any of his companions, nor was it English. His eyes narrowed on a dark-skinned individual standing just next to Captain Quinn. The other man was older, thinner, with a crown of white hair and a white beard, his clothes were tattered and looked a few decades old. His eyes however, were blown wide and he looked like he was about to flee the area, jump down to that old trawler tethered to the side of the ship and try to get out as fast as possible.

Agent Kuo must have noticed it, because she stepped in front of his escape route and just inclined her head. “We informed you that one of us might be horrifying. You have, however, our word. You are perfectly safe.”

“'Perfectly Safe'?!” The man snapped his head towards the agent. “Why is one of dese _tings_ here?”

“Things?” Alex cocked his head quizzically, brows drawn together. He didn't even notice that he actually _asked_ , at least until the guy jumped again.

“Dis ting can _talk_?!”

“This _thing_ is my brother”, Dana bit out, “He's just having a problem right now.”

“I seen dese tings rip apart people”, the captain barked. “If it was ya brother, ya better put it down 'efore it eats ya!”

Alex surprised himself by laughing sharply. Man, that guy had no idea how close to the truth he was. But if he wanted to eat Dana, or any of the others, he would have done so the first moment he'd seen them. Which he didn't and in Cole's and Kuo's cases, he had a lot of reason to.   
However, then he realized something that drew his attention in what the man had said and the humor at the irony bled away fast. The man had 'seen' things. Things like him. Where? In New Marais?

They were supposed to be dead. He had made sure of it, had made sure that there was nothing of Redlight or Blacklight left after Pariah. He needed to know more.  
Alex crossed his arms to shove the nails under the armpits in an attempt to appear less threatening, though his glare only intensified. “Where?”

He didn't like skirting around the problem, though obviously his bluntness didn't have many fans either. At least judging from the way the man cringed back. Luckily, Cole decided to spare him the trouble and stepped in front to cut off the direct eye contact. “Look, I know what this looks like, but I promise you, he isn't one of 'them'. He just ended up on the wrong end of some serious shit.” The trawler captain was eying him suspiciously, so he added: “We'll help if possible. Where did you see these things?” He paused. “What kind of 'things' are you even talking about?” Typical Cole, jump first, then look. It was going to kill him some day. Alex scoffed, and turned his attention on the old man. Who was still suspicious, but he obviously was considering the question.

“Ya for real?”

“Honest”, Cole replied. Dana took the opportunity to add her two cents. “You're putting yourself at risk, we know. But if there is a problem we can help with, we would like to help. To make it up to you.”

The old man gave in, throwing up his hands. “Fine, but don' come yellin' at me when dis ting and is friends in the swamp eat ya.”

“So they are in the swamp?” Dana sounded incredulous, and Alex shared her sentiment. Redlight didn't like water. Blacklight could tolerate it, but never stayed around for too long either.

“Folks are callin' 'em Swamp Beasts. Los of 'em out in de Bayous. Most larger dan a man, actually. Got armor and claws, or at leas' the smaller ones have. I got folks tellin' me de big ones eat everythin' dat ain' a Swamp Beast.”

“Swamp Beasts?” Agent Kuo furrowed her brows. “I heard rumors about that too.”

“Ain' jus' rumors, girl. Dey are there, and dey eat folks venturin' into the bog at night. We tink de Swamp Witch is de one controllin' 'em.”

“Swamp Witch?” Dunbar questioned in confusion. “There's a witch too?”

“Yeah. She's been around ever since a whole lotta folks disappeared. And since then, de Swamp Beasts were running wild.”

Alex narrowed his eyes in thought- this seemed familiar, but not in the way he remembered from Manhattan- this wasn't an infection, or most likely not. They knew from Kessler that there had been a Ray Sphere explosion before he returned to Empire. However, Kessler believed that there had been no victims, and he never bothered looking for survivors or remains of people, so he wasn't certain himself. He was of the firm belief that it had been a misfire in the swamp, and thus he never had any doubts. Though now they heard that 'a whole lotta folks disappeared', and then suddenly a 'witch' appeared in companionship of monsters, that made people vanish.  _That_ one was familiar from Empire.

“Just like Sasha, huh?” Cole muttered, mirroring exactly the thought Alex just had.

“Most likely”, he replied. Taking her down should be secondary priority, but for the moment, there was only one thought dominating his mind- these Swamp Beasts were ideal for _food_. And then his stomach lurched painfully. He was hungry. While it wasn't as bad as it had been in the past, it was still noticeable enough to be distracting.

He growled low in his throat, something that made the trawler captain jump in fear. “We have to hurry”, he hissed. “Find Wolfe. Stop these things.”

“Just what I thought”, Cole agreed. He turned to Quinn. “Thanks for getting us here, Quinn. You need anything, you just ask us.”

“It would help if you could repeat what you've done at Fisherman's, though this time with better results.”

“Don't worry. This is why we are here. This bastard defeated me once, he's not going to do it again.” He turned and glanced at the small trawler tethered besides the ship, hands clenching briefly around the rail- and jumped over in one singular leap. He hit the boat in a roll to work off the energy, then turned around and glanced at the others.

Dunbar grunted and threw his hands up. “Friggin' show-off”, he grumbled as he went towards the rope ladder and began to climb down. Agent Kuo was still talking to the captains, so Alex walked over to Dana and simply picked her up, cradling her carefully against his chest before he leapt over and hit the trawler hard enough to make it shudder. But he didn't break through the deck, and while it was positive he didn't damage their vehicle, it was also quite worrisome since it didn't speak well for how much mass he had left. And sure enough, when he let go of his sister, his body clenched painfully- though he was missing the tell-tale shiver of his body that was usually accompanied by his flesh shifting and his cells giving off active viral agents.

It was simply  _missing_ , and he didn't like it.

With a growl, he pulled away and leaned against the rail in the front, just glaring at the choppy water in vague hopes of controlling the hunger within. It was easier to focus on something that wasn't food when he didn't look at warm bodies.

But the boat wasn't large enough, so he noticed much too clearly when Agent Kuo and the trawler captain stepped on the ship, he heard how they exchanged a few last words, and he was keenly aware of the idling engine coming to life. Like a Hydra burrowing beneath, like the roar of a Hunter. He grimaced, feeling another stab of hunger that flashed through his head and settled as a constant ache at the pit of his stomach.

“Can we talk?” He acknowledged Cole's presence with a grunt only, but didn't look at him. He set his jaw however, when the Conduit leaned on the rail next to him. “Did you know?”

Know? This had many applications, and the question didn't explain anything. So he didn't bother answering. The other noticed it and exhaled once. “Wolfe”, he clarified. “You said you knew him. Knew about him. Any reason you didn't tell me?”

Ah, so that was about that. And he couldn't really get away with ignoring him. Not when they were locked together on this boat for the next hour or so and had to rely on each other later on. “I figured we had more time. I thought we could wait out the quarantine of Empire to leave the city without much fanfare.”

“More time?” The other sounded incredulous, then switched to accusing. “You _knew_ the Beast was coming. You _knew_ it would come after me!”

“It came after Kessler when he was thirty-six”, Alex corrected. “And despite the differences that already happened, I thought you had another nine or so years left. I didn't think time was that short.” He sighed through his nose and clenched his talons in front of him. “I was mistaken.” _Again_. 

Cole was silent for a moment, before he snapped. “Fuck. Nothing's going according to plan.”

“Does it ever?” Alex glanced at him briefly. “For what it's worth, I'm-” _Sorry it had to work out that way._ He swallowed and cleared his throat. “It shouldn't have happened. I should have told you earlier. But you were still injured and confused. Empire wasn't secure yet. I thought it could wait a little longer.”

“It couldn't wait”, the Conduit replied with a bitter tone. “Empire's gone, Alex.”

Gone? He flinched back as if burnt, his claws cutting groves into the rusty metal beneath his palms. Why was he surprised? Technically, he should have expected something like that, but until now nobody had bothered telling him what had happened while he was unconscious. Now Cole's words were like a punch into the stomach. Empire was gone.

He growled and snapped his head up, staring at the sky. “What else was destroyed?” He demanded to know.

“Asides from Empire?” Cole scoffed. “Philly. Baltimore. D.C nearly got whacked too. About every last town along the East Coast. Refugee camps. Altogether I'd say roughly sixteen million people _dead_.”

That...was actually less than he expected. He turned his attention back towards the Conduit. “What about the land in itself? What about the  _moon_ ?”

“The...moon?” Cole blinked in confusion. “What about it?”

“When the Beast last appeared- when it appeared in Kessler's past- the first thing it destroyed was the fucking _moon_ ”, Alex replied. “Brought the entire planet out of balance too, so billions of people died from the global catastrophes. Here? Sixteen millions aren't seven billion.” He finally turned to eye the other man, his thoughts finally pulling into the same direction and focus clearing. “You see millions dead. I see that it could have been a _lot_ worse. And this is our chance. If that is everything this thing can do or is willing to do, then we have a real chance, once we got to Wolfe and look at what he's been doing since I- since _Kessler_ last saw him.”

On second thought, maybe he should have broken it to him a little more gently- Cole looked like he was about to faint. He caught himself and eased his expression back into one that was a little more refined. There was still terror in his voice. “What if we can't stop it?”

Alex cocked his head. “I doubt we 'can't' stop it. Something is different with that thing as opposed to the one Kessler faced. Think about it. I jumped it face-first. All that happened was that I kind of lost my ability to transform. I did not, however, die.”

The Beast hadn't killed them. This made it its mistake entirely. “Next time, we will take it down.”

“You sound pretty sure about this.” Cole paused, and his fists clenched at his sides. “But you're right. We got our asses kicked. We failed _hard_. But we're still here. This here- New Marais- this is our choice. We can make a real difference.”

Alex only cocked his head at the other's confidence. He wanted to be sure about it too, wanted to be certain that what he already experience wouldn't happen again. But in reality? Hope was a delusion. Things didn't look so good. He had no idea how to defeat the Beast.  
Not. A. Single. One.  
Kessler seemed to have believed that Wolfe would be able to figure something out, something regarding the very nature of a Ray Field that supplied a Conduit's powers, but they had split before there was anything solid.

But...the Ray Field. Cole said the Beast used powers similar to the Ray Sphere. Maybe there was something...Alex winced, screwing his eyes shut when another stab of pain lurched from his stomach into his skull.

Figuring out how to defeat the Beast was top priority-  _should_ be top priority- yet all he wanted was to feed. Starving himself for two weeks after a major injury had not been a smart idea, though there wasn't much he could consume guilt-free on Quinn's ship. And he didn't want the guilt, didn't want to add even  _more_ regrets to those he already had.

But right now he wished he had consumed  _something_ .

There was something in the air, and his head snapped to the front with the same focus he displayed when searching for his prey. He could hear voices on the wind. Could smell the faint traces of explosives and gun powder, even over the oppressing scent of the bog.

Cole was the first to notice the shift in his posture, but it was Kuo who realized what was going on. With a soft swear on her lips, she spun around and rushed the few steps towards the trawler's bridge, waving her arms. “Cut the engines! Cut the engines!”

Alex noticed Dunbar and Dana becoming more alert even as the captain cut the power and the boat was left to drift. It was Cole, however, who reacted first. “What's going on?”

“Militia blockade”, Kuo declared, pointing into exactly the direction Alex had caught the scent from. “We get any closer and their artillery will sink us.”

_Food_

Alex's whole body snapped into position, muscles tensing as a snarl worked out of his throat. Cole was saying something- Hell,  _Dana_ was saying something- but he didn't hear it. His eyes flitted towards the treeline on either side, then to the Militia blockade in the mist further up the stream.  
He just kicked off the boat, soaring high in the sky before he hit the soft ground hard enough to topple the closest tree, already dashing away from the boat before the trunk hit the water.

He didn't care about the other trees he snapped as he charged blindly towards the  _prey_ . He could hear their startled voices, he heard guns being cocked, he smelled adrenaline. 

_Food_

He broke two more trees as he entered the Militia-controlled area, and there were men in various uniform idiotic outfits that hid their faces- all of who yelled in shock and instantly started shooting. He felt some bullets ping off his armor, others bit in and stayed there, and sometimes he felt the sharp sting of...arrows? He didn't really care, just lunged at the closest one and jabbed his claw right through his sternum.

But...

There was no squirming. No shifting of his flesh. The virus was silent. Unmoving.

When the body dropped, it dropped with a grisly wound in its chest, though entirely whole and unconsumed.

It hit Alex harder than anything before. He couldn't transform. He couldn't assume a normal appearance. He couldn't  _consume_ .

“Fuck”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, there are no grammatical errors in the way the trawler captain talks. That's just the way he does. 
> 
> Also, you noticed that Cole's Beast was a whole different caliber than Kessler's? Cole's is actually weaker. The more you know.


	6. Breaking into New Marais

Cole's first words when Kuo warned them of the Militia's artillery were “Sure,  _why_ the Hell not? It's not as if I wanted an  _easy_ trip into New Marais to save the whole damn world.” Followed closely by “Wait, how does a bunch of hicks get military weaponry?”

“I'd hazard a guess and say this Bertrand guy has ties with the military”, Dana pointed out with a shrug. “Guess we'd have to persuade them to...not use them, Alex?”

The boat suddenly rocked as if some giant gator had rammed it. Cole swore, but managed to keep his balance, and it was only when a tree reeled over and crashed into the bog with a wet  _spluk_ , when he realized what just happened.

Alex had obviously taken Dana's words as invitation to cut loose. Cole groaned and just grabbed the railing, yelling. “How about a little warning next time, Mercer?!” At the same time, he was already swinging one leg over the rail, intent on following after his friend, when Zeke stopped him.

Reluctantly, the Conduit stepped back, glancing at his best friend, who didn't lose any time to start speaking. “Now, I know you wanna go out there and mix things up, but I thought...” He pulled the tuning fork weapon from behind his body, holding it out to him. “That maybe you wanna try her out.”

Cole took the weapon, arching his eyebrows. “You think it's finished?”

“Just give her a try”, Zeke beamed. 

Cole took the weapon, turned it slightly in his hands- then gripped it more tightly and the tips snapped outwards while electricity started to crackle from the junction at their base to the insulators at their ends. Before, Zeke's controller had been the source of the electricity, now it was Cole himself. He felt the energy inside when he gave it an experimental swing. Kuo had backed up, eyes alert and it occurred to him that this was the first time he's seen her alarmed, or showing any other emotion other than her carefully blank face, though she seemed curious too. “What is that thing?”

Zeke beamed at her. “I call it the  _Amp_ . I made it extra for Cole, so he can beat people into submission.” His smile faltered a little. “You know, he had troubles with some guys having metal armor. His lightning just didn't get through. So I thought I gotta help him- and with the Amp he can bypass armor of most kinds.”

Cole tested the Amp again with a smile growing on his face. “Good work, Zeke.”

“Aw, thanks man. You makin' me blush here.” Zeke grinned again. “Now go and have some fun.”

The Conduit was already rushing towards the railing again, waving the Amp. “This is going to make some impression!” And hopefully  _leave_ some impressions too.  
Now, the boat had continued to float upstream for a bit while Cole was given his new weapon, so he wouldn't be able to follow Alex's trail directly, but he knew where to go and using an abandoned pier was a lot safer than trying to balance across a slippery fallen tree anyways.  
That would have been embarrassing if he went into New Marais all guns blazing, only to fall into the bog and electrocute himself on the first step. So he was only all too glad to avoid a punch to his pride and just hopped onto this rickety pier.

Then he simply charged across muddy ground and some age-old bridges, always heading towards the shooting he heard echoing through the trees.

“Shit, man, what's going on over there?!” He stopped momentarily, eyes narrowing on two guys standing a little way off. Judging from the heavy guns in their hands and the ridiculous uniforms they were wearing they were Militia. He couldn't be too sure however, though he readied the Amp just in case.

But when he stepped from behind the trees he'd been using as cover, the men whirled around and stared at him for a good few seconds- and ripped their rifles up. Any question as to who they might have been were blown right out of the window at that, and Cole found himself dodging to the side to avoid being shot at. He knew he couldn't avoid bullets, but he could sure as Hell avoid being aimed at.  
And he could make them think  _twice_ as to why it was a bad idea shooting people.

Cole rushed them in a spiral motion, never staying in one place for too long until he was close-up and inside their personal bubble. That was a thing he had learnt early on: Guys with guns don't like close combat.

And they didn't like the Amp colliding with their bodies either. He was careful about how much strength he used to avoid accidentally killing them, though these guys were likely okay once they would wake up. And the Amp held up  _perfectly_ .

He couldn't stop himself from taping his phone and ringing up his friend. “Hey Zeke”, he greeted once the other picked up. “This Amp's gonna work out just fine.”

“ _Alright!”_ , Zeke cheered, and he heard Dana's higher voice in the background yelling 'Don't give them too much of a cranial trauma'. _“Was afraid the collapsible rods wouldn't hold up, but I guess I worried for nothin'.”_

“Still gonna keep an eye on it”, Cole pointed out, heading closer towards the shooting. 

“ _Put some notches on it for me, will ya?”_

The Conduit chuckled and headed over to where some platforms had been erected, and quickly latched onto the closest one to pull himself upwards.  
He stopped, eyes narrowing when his radar senses told him that there were a lot of life forms just...going out. And up here, he could hear the shooting, the  _screams_ .

Most people would run away from the obvious danger. He ran towards it. If he wouldn't have known what he had to expect at the source, then he would seriously question his sense of survival.

Though...as he made his way towards some buildings, he realized that something was  _off_ . He spotted the area Alex came from easily enough (because of the broken trees), and he recognized his handiwork because of the bodies.  
But that was exactly what was wrong. He had seen the hunger on his face when they met, yet there were  _bodies_ .

When Alex ate (consumed, absorbed, whatever), nothing was left of his victims except for some drops of blood. But here? Corpses were torn apart, ripped to pieces in an increasingly violent manner- but all of them remained uneaten.

He wasn't sure what to think of it- on one hand it meant he didn't have to witness people-  _humans_ \- being twisted and transformed, then sucked into a living nightmare. On the other hand, this living nightmare was his friend, and anything affecting him affected Cole as well.

So against whatever his instincts were shrieking at him, he went to look for him. The shooting had stopped, and so had the screams.

But as he sent out his radar, it didn't pick up Alex's unique energy pattern. There was  _one_ , however, which was weird enough to be him, possibly. Still, Cole didn't want any surprises, so he drew the Amp from his back and carefully moved closer.  
It wasn't needed in the end, because he did find Alex in the middle of carnage that had once been a few armed guys. The Conduit swallowed, tried to focus on what was important: Alex was alive, and the bad guys were dead. Now killing wasn't something he'd ever wish on anybody lightly, but there were people who  _deserved_ it. And actually, there were a lot of people in that category. Sure, Cole knew a lot of good guys, but idiots who blindly followed after leaders and who harmed others gleefully, they were high on top of that naughty list of his.

And his friend needed to kill, being a genetically engineered weapon and all that, so he just had to stretch his claws from time to time. Also eat whoever he killed.

But...exactly there was the point that worried him. The bodies were all left uneaten, if mostly ripped to pieces, and Alex himself didn't exactly looked to be better off. Cole actually felt his mouth go dry when he noticed the injuries on the Runner's body. Bullet wounds from the high-powered rifles lying around- bullet wounds that  _were not_ healing.

They should be, because he's seen it pretty often already. There should be some squiggling as his insides shifted around and settled back into his normal appearance. But there wasn't, and even if it wasn't bleeding or anything, there were still dark stains surrounding the single injuries.

“What?” Alex snapped and yeah, he sounded about as cranky as Cole imagined him to be. He also noticed that he was staring. The Conduit cleared his throat a little forcefully, grimacing.

“You don't look so hot.”

That earned him a glare, though the heat wasn't directed at him. “Tell me something I don't know.” Dark liquid oozed from a hole in his shoulder, where the armor was thinnest. It came to his realization that it was  _blood_ . But Blacklight didn't bleed. It wasn't like other living beings, and it had no need for blood.

“Dude, how?”

Alex growled. “You got three guesses.”

The answer was obvious. “The Beast. It did something to you?”

“Probably its radiation. Fucked my genetic code over”, was the reply. “I can't shift anymore.” His eyes darkened, though there was a glint of panic in them too. “And without shifting, I can't heal. I can't change my appearance”, he slammed one talon into the wall next to him, leaving deep gashes. “I can't _feed_.”

_Oh._ What was the appropriate reaction to things like this? 'I'm sorry you lost your only source of energy, I'm sure you'll be fine'? That would be a fantastic way to piss him off and possibly lose him as ally and friend. So he only swallowed thickly. “Any way I can help with?”

“I doubt it”, Alex grumbled. “I'm not even sure _what_ it is. But I am sure that you can't do anything about it.” He glanced at him. “The last time something similar happened, I had a doctor specialized in Blacklight. So unless Wolfe learnt everything about a top secret viral weapon in the few years since Kessler saw him last, I don't know what to do.”

Cole realized with a start just how defeated it sounded. Like he had completely stopped fighting the inevitable. (Just like with him, back when Trish died?)   
He grit his teeth, watching the black liquid that was still sluggishly dripping from the various bullet holes. “We'll find a way, Alex”, he declared. “And if I march to these Blackwatch bastards and make them fix you.”

“You don't want to do that.”

“Watch me”, he scoffed. First they had to defeat the Beast, then he would walk right into Detrick and demand answers if this didn't change. Though... _change_. Something had changed, and that wasn't just Alex's loss of shape shifting. 

Cole had noticed that before. His electrical field had changed. Away from the chaos. Away from the random charges. Towards  _order_ . Towards familiar territory.

“Could you hold still for a moment?”

Alex's eyes narrowed, though he didn't ask what he meant. Cole figured he was allowed to continue. He lifted his hands carefully. “Don't worry, it won't hurt. Much.”

Before the Runner could ask what he meant, Cole pressed his hands flat against his chest and sent out a pulse of energy- and watched how the Runner's wounds closed within moments while the bullets dropped to the ground with clinks.   
It wasn't new to him, healing others had been one of the first powers he unlocked back in Empire, and it was one of the few powers left to him now.

Alex however, was a lot less amused and obviously confused. As soon he was physically fine, he had backed off quickly, and even though it wasn't a downright jumping backwards, it was still similar enough. Cole grimaced. “You alright, man?”

The answer was slow. “...Yes. But...” He furrowed his brows, glaring at him. “ _How_ ? Your powers don't work on me.” 

He was right about that, since he didn't heal by repairing the wound but rather by shifting himself around to cover the damage, Cole's ability to increase the self-healing rate in others just never meant anything to him. Now however, the healing had performed without trouble, and more even, while it definitely worked faster than in humans, it was exactly the same process. “You changed”, the Conduit explained simply. “You told me your body doesn't work like that of humans. You don't have a nervous system, or organs, or anything. But now you  _do_ . So I guess...welcome to the world of Humanity.”

* * *

From the way Cole cringed back after the silence stretched just a little too long, Alex could guess his expression was somewhere in the less-than-friendly-spectrum. His hands opened and closed and he heard his pulse hammer in his ears.

No, not Cole's- he heard his  _own_ pulse. And that pulled his lips even further down because he  _should not_ have a pulse. The Conduit quickly cleared his throat awkwardly. “I mean, uh, when you disguised yourself as me to trick Moya, you've been pretty close. Now you're being you and you're a lot more human than you've been back then.”

“I am _not_ human”, Alex spat. He had wanted to be. Back then. Back in Manhattan. But he wasn't. He had learnt about this, later on, had realized that there was nothing he and them had in common. He was a virus at his core, and the virus made up _everything_ that was him. Just a collection of billions of cells that worked together and formed the current him.  
And this was his strength- he could do things no other living being was capable of. He would never grow tired or old. He would never get sick or injured. He couldn't die as long parts of him remained. 

But this? Assault rifles had injured him- assault rifles that couldn't hurt him before. He couldn't transform, couldn't assume a less incriminating shape. Couldn't feed to repair the damage.

His paw moved to his face and he dragged the palm over his eyes, just breathing for a while before he sighed through his nose. “Just...fuck it.”

Cole blinked. “That's it?”

He glanced at him from below his machete-like claws. “You were expecting more?”

“Kind of. I mean...if _I_ figured out that something had changed my entire state of being, I'd be a bit more pissed off.”

He  _growled_ . The Conduit backed off, startled. “I  _am_ pissed off”, Alex snapped, teeth bared. He caught himself when he realized he was approaching the other in an intimidating manners, and drew back, jerking his chin over his shoulder as good as he could with the armor restricting his movement. “But you know what raging would do?  _Nothing_ .” This wasn't unknown. He was angry. At himself. At the Beast. At everybody else- though being mad wouldn't accomplish anything. He  _wanted_ to rage it out, wanted to rend whatever he got between his talons- but it wouldn't help him in any way. Quite the opposite, possibly. Because if he exerted himself with no way to replenish his energy, he would be off a lot worse than he was now.

He exhaled slowly. “I can't afford to be pissed off. Shit happened that would make things more complicated, but it can't distract us from what needs to be done.”

Cole just furrowed his brows. “I don't know. You're just having a major change. I mean, wouldn't it be better to take a break?”

This would probably be the best course of action. Just like with the parasite years back- if he wasn't busy being conscious, he could get whatever it was out and kill it, return to his old self.

But just like with the parasite, laying down and doing nothing wasn't on Alex's mind. He shook his head. “Afraid I can't. We still have to shut down the artillery.”

“C'mon. It's just a group of hicks. I can deal with them.”

Alex snorted. “What? You want to get me off your ass? I won't.”

“But-” Cole grimaced. “You've lost your strongest abilities. Hell, you lost your ability to look _normal_.”

“This isn't the first time.” He was already walking away, forcing the Conduit to jog to keep up with him. “When this happened the last time I was afflicted with a form of intelligent cancer, that ate me from the inside out.” Cole made a gagging noise, falling back momentarily. “It prevented me from using my weapons, while it didn't affect my transformation or consumption. However, it also screwed my sensory input over and weakened me to the point I collapsed several times from stress. Now?” He stopped for a moment, glancing at his companion. “I feel _fine_.”

Cole's brows were drawn together as if he was about to deny it. Alex figured it wouldn't hurt to cut him off before he went on a tirade. “More even, asides from this devolving factor, I am still stronger than you will ever be, I'm faster and more resistant towards damage.” That much, he figured, was true in a way. While he couldn't just casually shift his mass to cover the damage, he had still taken a lot more bullets, a  _lot more_ , than Cole would have ever withstood- without even keeling over. “ _And_ I still have access to the entire knowledge I gathered. If Wolfe is gone or dead, I'm the only one capable of possibly reproducing the results he achieved.” And  _that_ was, and had always been, his most powerful and devastating power. Who cared that he couldn't access his more basic abilities?

Alex cared. He sighed once more and continued making his way further towards the edge of the city. “Yes, it is a new situation that throws some rocks in my way, but it is not as debilitating as it appears.” It really wasn't. Blacklight was made for survival, was made for adapting during combat situations. After all, he had gained more powers and abilities in three short weeks while in Manhattan than he gathered in all the years following the outbreak. “I'll manage.”

It didn't matter that he didn't believe his own words.

* * *

Yeah, no. Cole didn't believe a single word. He  _knew_ Alex. Knew that that guy was angry at at least three things simultaneously at any given time- but now there was fear in the mix as well. He could guess why- losing all the abilities that defined one was hardly something to be shrugged off. But Alex obviously did not want to talk about it, so Cole wasn't going to force him either.

He would just continue to deny everything, and really, what was  _talking_ about something supposed to change? Much like with a protest march, actually. If one wanted to change something, they had to do something. The only problem right here was that they had no idea what to do in the first place. Which meant that this particular trouble went to the back burner in order to fix the solvable issues first.

And right now,the first issue was quite obvious- there were still military installations they had to take down in order for Kuo and the others to get into New Marais in the first place.

“Oh” Cole stopped in front of water. He hadn't even noticed that there was so much of it- he always figured that there would be enough bridges and land for him to get over without electrocuting himself. On the other side was some form of...ramshackle shantytown. In Europe, people would say that it were gypsies. Here it were possibly homeless and illegal immigrants, combined with the descendants of slaves and people who just didn't have (or wanted) the money to live inside New Marais.

“Bridge”, Alex just rasped, drawing his attention to the construction on the other side. “Beats swimming”, he added a moment later.

“Too far to fly, too”, Cole agreed. While he hadn't lost his thrusters, he couldn't cross that kind of distance. So instead he marched up to the other end of the bridge and glanced at the console just on the other side. He'd seen similar ones already, back in Empire. Red meant the electricity was off, and that meant just shooting it a little would power it up and allow them to get the bridge down.

A lamp post nearby supplied him with the necessary juice, and for the first time in two weeks he realized just how  _thirsty_ he'd been for additional energy.

“You're going to charge the relay?”

Cole turned to his companion. “Yeah. Gotta get the bridge down here somehow.”

Alex took one glance at the console on their side, his shin-long talons slowly tapping against the ancient metal. “You should be careful”, he said. “This thing doesn't look like it's seen maintenance for quite a while. Guess the same goes for the other one. Could be parts inside are broken.”

Cole made a face. “So I should  _not_ zap it?”

“More along the line of 'careful zap it'.” The other scoffed. “Could be that the relay in itself could get overloaded. Best case scenario, we're damaging the bridge to the point it can't be used anymore. Worst case scenario...” He jerked his head into the general direction of the shanty town. “The conductor blows and sets the village on fire. Of course...” He squinted at the village and Cole followed his gaze, noticing the Militia soldiers amongst the population. “If you do you could take out all these guys in one go. Would probably make things easier.”

“I do that, I also take out all the women, children and pets”, Cole grunted with a nod towards the various civilians that were grouped around campfires. Alex didn't seem too disturbed by the idea however, but then again, his to-go-to-solution had always been 'killing a few for the sake of protecting everybody else'. Or better, he corrected himself 'cauterize a wound to prevent gangrene'. But this was Alex's opinion. He obviously wasn't aware how similar he was to Blackwatch in that regard, just that he only cauterized, and did not amputate the whole limb. There was hope for the man yet.

Cole had a different opinion. He always tried to prevent civilians from getting caught in the crossfire, went to great lengths to do so, even if it meant swallowing a bit too much lead. No matter how they treated him, he added mentally when he remembered the first day in Empire.

He rolled his wrist and aimed his hand towards the machine on the other side, carefully firing lightning bolts with enough waiting time between to check up on the relay. The bridge creaked as it lowered and extended itself towards them, protesting the motion after a long time of inactivity.

Voices were still audible over the noise, and Cole just knew that the Militia hicks noticed it. They would have been dumb and deaf if they didn't, and sure enough, he spied a group of them gathering together, yelling about something and gesturing with their rifles and hunting bows. The latter made him snort. Bows? Really?

He watched the hicks and the civilians for a moment, before turning to Alex. “Hey, uhm- I know you're no fan of clean kills, but there are kids over there. So maybe don't give 'em reason to need a shrink at their age, okay?”

Alex just arched an eyebrow beneath his hood. “I'm not totally heartless”, he pointed out. “Why, right about now, I'd say I even got a heart. Not sure I like it, but whatever. I'll just stay out of their sight.”

“Did you just make a joke?”

Alex didn't answer, just stared at a point on the other side, frown deepening. Then the shooting started and Cole quickly had other things to worry about. Alex was faster- leaping over and slamming hard into the ground to make the men stumble- and all ire was on him. Cole could appreciate it, he really did, but he knew that being hurt only made the Runner more aggressive. So he quickly crossed the distance too and just brained the first guy with the Amp, while Alex halfheartedly swiped at the closest guy and swatted him with the back of his hand. The Conduit winced when he heard bones crack, though the guy remained alive, if unconscious. Showed how much restraint the other was using. Also, it was nice that his words were taken to heart, he thought, right before he realized that he should have taken bows a bit more serious. An arrow embedded itself into his shoulder with a pained grunt from him, though he spun around and lunged at the guy who was holding the weapon. He just punched him hard enough to knock him out, then he tried to pull the arrow from his back.

That didn't go like he planned, mostly because in the movies the projectile would come out cleanly. This one was stuck and it took a lot of tugging and swearing on his part to get it loose. The injuries healed quickly enough, as did the bullet wounds, though his once-pristine yellow shirt already looked like he'd pulled it from a dumpster.

“He ain't human!” Somebody suddenly shrieked, “Kill him!” Cole assumed for a moment they meant Alex, because hey, he had the machetes on his hands and the perpetual appearance of a day-old meth corpse, but then he realized that the Runner was still behind the buildings and _not visible_ from the direction the shots came. Shots that, without doubt, were aimed at _him_.

With a growl, he dove behind some barrels in this industrial setup and set out a radar pulse, finding the guys immediately. Problem was, they were standing next to or behind metal sheets, which gave them ample cover from his lightning attacks.

“You ain't welcome here!” Another voice shouted as a honest-to-God missile exploded just a few yards away from him. Of course these hicks got rocket launchers. Of _course_. Cole threw himself out of his cover and dashed towards the closest merc, Amp drawn and held in front of his body like a makeshift shield.

The ground shook, sending him stumbling. The next moment, he recognized Alex, who had been lured by the shooting and was now in the process of strangling the merc. Without taking his eyes off his victim, he jabbed a claw over his shoulder. “Javelin Missile. Over there. He's just reloading.”

Cole whirled around, noticed the man perched atop a conveyor belt the second he was finished reloading, and fired a lightning bolt right into his chest. The man jerked back and lost his balance, thudding against the ground. The fall was far from deep enough to be lethal, but it had knocked him out cold. Cole spun back around and approached the third guy, who was currently backing away from an angry Alex. He casually tapped his shoulder and just punched him straight in the jaw when he whirled towards him startled. The man crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes and Cole let a wide grin spread over his face. “Always wanted to do that.”

Alex didn't say anything, just eyed the unconscious guy on the floor maybe a little too long, though his attention snapped away from him the same second he just pushed the Conduit aside and away from another missile and  _jumped_ , talons blazing. Technically, he shouldn't. As soon as the shooting stopped, the civilians would most likely investigate and find the bodies. However, right now there were none of them around, so Cole's request to not murder the hicks in front of the people went right out of the window. Maybe he should have specified his words?

Though, they shot at them with fucking missile launchers, so there wasn't much restraint left anyways- and from what Alex told him, missile launcher-wielding foes had always been those guys he jumped first, back in Manhattan. He's been conditioned, so Cole let him have that, though he couldn't quite stop the grimace when he heard the sound of tearing flesh and the wet gurgle of a man meeting his gruesome end.

He wasn't the last one, however. A group of four more Militia mercs just appeared around the bend. These guys were armed with rifles, not missile launchers, so Cole decided to take them down quickly before they could call for reinforcements.

His lightning bolts hit the first guy and knocked him out cold. He was probably going to tie him down later on, since electricity didn't really shut down people for longer than just a few minutes. The next two men tried to take him together- he grabbed the Amp harder and swung in a circle, hitting both of them and sending them on their asses. They'd be out for the next time. The fourth was screaming enraged at him. “Betrand will hear of this!”

That did give Cole a pause. Bertrand? How in the world could his men be that stupid to shout out their boss's name? Especially since their boss was apparently one of the most respected people in Louisiana. He slammed the butt of the Amp over his head, shutting him up. Then he looked around.

“Alex? You seeing any more of them?”

There was silence for a short stretch, until the man in question appeared before him, shaking the ground, though suddenly lurched sideways and snatched something with his talons, crushing it between his fingers. Burning gasoline and glass shards dripped to the ground. “What do you think?”

Cole boggled for a moment. “Molotov Cocktails?!” He burst out. “What in the-” He threw a glance back at the assault rifles, the  _missile launchers_ . “They got all this shit- why do they throw stuff like that?!”

“Because they're idiots”, Alex deadpanned. “Worse even, _armed_ idiots. Which means they will be predictable and _easy_ to deal with.” He snorted. “But it won't be easy taking them down, because they _believe_ in this Bertrand.” Interesting, so he either heard what this guy has been yelling, or he had learnt it later on after Kuo told them about the Militia. Dana? Possible that she brought him up to date. At any rate, he had more knowledge about armies than Cole had. 

Alex scoffed. “They'll follow him blindly, because he's the only  _smart_ one. Betrand is their focus. Take him out, and you've dealt with these idiots.”

Cole grinned. “Yeah, we're going to do that. However, we might wanna start small. Like taking down this artillery. You got any idea where they could be?”

Alex inclined his head, then glanced around. “Where are the most people?”

“Uh- back in the village.” Cole paused, then furrowed his brows as he turned around. “But the _second_ most...” He turned slowly, eying an ancient stern wheeler sitting in the bayou.

“Gunpowder”, the other supplied. “I think it's a mortar ordnance.”

“And that means?”

There was a smirk revealing sharp teeth. “You can't shoot straight with a mortar. Just rush them. Once you're inside their reach, they have to fall back to small arms. Not even rocket launchers, or they'll blow themselves sky-high.”

“Or...” Cole grinned wide, lightning dancing around his fingers. “Or _we_ blow them sky-high.” It would mean killing all those men on board, though. A decision Cole was surprisingly okay with. He shouldn't be, should be looking for another way, but he didn't feel generous. These men had made their decision to follow Bertrand's orders, never questioning whether it was _right_ to do so. And he had seen it on their faces- they were happy to assault him. They were gleefully shooting at him, with no care for the civilians in that shantytown. Cole wished he had gone back to check for them, but they couldn't afford losing more time. Who knew how close Zeke and the others were already? If they didn't take the artillery down, then the chance was high they'd lose them. And he couldn't stomach the thought. Not after Trish.

Alex was watching him closely, but once Cole made his decision, he just shrugged and tracked back a little bit to find a derelict truck. “I'll start”, he declared briefly, hefting the vehicle over his head. “That should distract them enough to prevent them from firing the mortars. You need to target the ammunition depots. Or better, anything flammable next to them. The heat should do the trick.”

Well, it was good the boat was made of wood, then. He waited for Alex to launch the truck at the boat, watched how the smaller vehicle crashed into the side of the larger and ripped through the walls and decks with ease. He heard the startled shouts of the men, and took aim. The first lightning bolts went wide, but the next ones struck gold- or gasoline. Whether it was from the truck, or maybe the emergency gas from the ship he didn't know.

It wasn't like in the movies- the gasoline had space to run and oxygen to burn, so there was no explosion. But there was a fast-burning fire spreading across the ship, eagerly eating up the old wooden deck. Alex made a noise, hefting a barrel now- an oil drum, actually- and he threw it over as well. And unlike Cole, he had an uncanny ability to hit exactly where he needed to hit to cause most damage. The barrel split open from the force of the impact, spraying gasoline or oil everywhere. Turning it into fine mist- and the mist caught fire instantly.

Within the blink of an eye, the wild fire on the floor had erupted into a full-blown  _inferno_ , superheated air roaring just above the blaze. Loud enough to drown out the men's yells. Cole saw several of them jump over board in an attempt to save themselves- but then the heat finally got through to the ammunition crates.

And  _there_ was the explosion he awaited. It ripped the mortar ordnance apart, along with most of the superstructures. At the same time, shrapnel tore through the bottom of the boat, created holes that just sucked in the water. More explosions, probably the engine, rocked the wreck, and the husk groaned once and sank into the river. It didn't go far, the bayous weren't very deep, but it was enough that it wouldn't be salvageable.

He tapped his phone, picking Kuo's number. “Their mortar is out of commission”, he informed her. “But I bet there's more Militia hiding out ahead.”

“ _I heard that”_ , Kuo deadpanned. _“What exactly did they have?”_

“Just a boat loaded with mortars. But maybe they should have secured the ammo. A little fire and they blew up like it's the fourth of July.”

Kuo exhaled.  _“Let us know when it's clear.”_ Then she clicked off.

Cole blinked. “I think she's a bit miffed.”

Alex shrugged. “It's probably because boats blowing up is not exactly stealthy.”

“Shit, you _do_ develop a sense of humor!”

“ _One_ thing had to, when everything else went to Hell.”

He delivered it so deadpan that Cole cringed, still feeling guilty for what happened. “Let's just leave it there and look for whoever might still be left”, he suggested instead. Without waiting for an answer, he went to the end of the pier, glancing at the wrecked ship. Then he leapt right across the river, using his Static Thrusters to carry himself over to some floating wreckage and continue from there. It was a delicate balancing act, seeing as most of the structures in the swamp were ancient and crumbling, though he did manage to find some joy when he discovered a power cable to grind along on.

Joy that quickly bled into annoyance, when he dashed head-first into an active turret. With a blood-thirst guy on the trigger. Cole rolled to the side, mindful to  _not_ accidentally fall into the swamp below this platform, and was about to rush the guy when Alex made his appearance again and crushed the man like a melon. Cole did manage to avoid getting any of the splatter on his body, but he was frowning now. “A little moderation maybe?”

When Alex didn't reply, but rather stared at the mess almost mesmerized, the Conduit approached him. “Hey man, you alright?”

That got his attention, though the Runner still didn't bother answering immediately. “Maybe not”, he eventually relented. “It's...fuck. I don't know.” He shook his head once. “I can deal with it. Have to.”

He didn't want to talk about it, and Cole wasn't going to press the matter. He just sighed through his nose. “Okay. I gotta believe you on this. So...let's get going.”

* * *

Alex could feel Cole's stare on his back, even though the Conduit was currently at the front, easily and quickly balancing across rickety pipes and grinding along flabby power lines. Like he wasn't fearing an accident. But he did, and that was part of the reason he did his stunts- just like with him, back when he learnt his powers (he remembered when he jumped off the  _London_ Hotel at Times' Square just to  _know_ ). To Cole it was the rush of adrenaline that kept reminding him he was still alive, still able to turn things around and take the victory in the end. 

To Alex, it was the hunger gnawing inside of him. It was always present, sometimes in the back of his skull, whispering; sometimes taking over his entire body with an ear-splitting shriek. The type of hunger coiling in his guts right now was different from either. While it wasn't the worst he ever experienced, it was enough to make him feel like shit.

And it changed his focus. Blood never really bothered him, but now, the sight of it on the ground, made his stomach clench. Not painfully, but at any rate distracting. And when he followed after Cole, utilizing the poles he climbed along as stepping stones for his jumps (as his gliding ability was also part of his transformation package), they didn't break. Barely even cracked. And that didn't spell very good news for how much Biomass he had left.  
_God. I hope this shit isn't permanent._

His teeth bared in a growl, and he forcefully shook these thoughts from his head. He refused to be cowed by this, refused to just give up. He was going to get his powers back, and he was going to kill the Beast for doing this to him.  
Along with everybody who dared stand in his way. His eyes locked onto three Militia soldiers just further down the swamp, standing on another platform. They weren't looking into their direction, but rather towards the first real parts of civilization he's seen so far. There was some form of docking area just beyond another stretch of water, so these guys were possibly there to prevent people from escaping. And that tugged on another of his memories. Locking a city down with lethal force, feeding the people lies- it reminded him of Blackwatch, of the first three frantic weeks of his life. For a split second he wondered whether Bertrand had a nuke stowed away, though pushed that idea away for being idiotic.

Though, instead of staying behind and letting the Conduit beat the Militia up, Alex sped up and just dashed past his ally, slammed hard into the platform and charged the guys. He wanted to make them  _bleed_ , wanted to make them feel just a fraction of the frustration he was feeling. He wanted to sate the hunger inside of him, even though he couldn't consume. But slaughter always managed to silence the voices inside his head, and slaughter was what he was going to do. 

It wasn't  _enough_ . The sacks of flesh were rended way too fast. They didn't break or bleed or scream enough. They were just gone.  
And he was still hungry. For blood, for flesh, for memories; yet he couldn't get what he  _wanted._ So he was going to take whatever he could to make up for it. Pain, rage, death- when a body hit the floor next to him, he snarled and whipped around, claws ready to shred the newcomer, to show them what it meant to face the Monster of Manhattan-

“Whoa!” His claws hit metal, and heat rushed through the metal edges, setting his nerves alight. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize that he just launched an assault at Cole, who used the fork weapon for blocking. Alex pulled back immediately, cradling his palm against his chest in an attempt to soothe the electrical burn. The Conduit eyed him sceptically. “Geez, man. I gotta ask again: Are you alright?”

Alex bared his teeth at him. Cole just arched his eyebrows. “Funny. The first time I asked you said you were fine. The next time that you had no idea and now you're attacking me. Pretty sure I know what you'll be like if I ask the next time.” He crossed his arms and huffed out. “But seriously, dude. Is there any way I could help you? Since you said you're the only one who could figure out what Wolfe found. And I don't want to have to deal with this shit on my own, so I need you. And more, I need you at your best.”

The Runner inclined his head. He wasn't sure in how far the Conduit could help him, seeing as he himself had no clue as to what was wrong in the first place- though he figured it was nice that someone was worried for him.

He glanced back at the bodies of the mercs he'd torn apart, nudging a bit of gore with his shoe tip. The blood- it made his stomach clench and his head spin. But it wasn't enough, it wasn't  _alive_ anymore. He needed-  _craved_ \- live prey. He had to taste their blood, rip them limb from limb, had to listen to their pulse fade-

_NO!_

Alex grit his teeth and shook his head to clear his focus. He was better than that. Better than the Infected. Better than Greene. But he was still hungry- and he needed to feed to get his thoughts back in order.  
Though...Cole's healing had worked on him when it should not. Alex wondered whether more things had changed. “You still have a protein bar on you?”

Predictably, the Conduit blinked. “...Why?”

“Why would someone want to have something to _eat_ , hm?”

Cole blinked again, but quickly slung his bag over his shoulder to dig through it. “It's just- Dana told me you don't eat because it doesn't work for you.”

“Your healing didn't work on me either”, Alex pointed out. Cole found a half-melted chocolate bar inside his bag and handed it over. The Runner glanced at it, then ripped the package open with his teeth. “What did you call it? Welcome to the World of Humanity?”

* * *

It felt like hours since Alex and Cole had left, and the trawler was bobbing slowly through the swamp. The captain only switched on the engine from time to time to avoid drifting back into the open sea. He was nervous, Dana noticed, always checking the swamps around and glancing back towards the sky. It was already late, and she had the feeling he didn't wanted to remain exposed for any longer than necessary. He was afraid of something- the Swamp Beasts he mentioned maybe? Dana wondered what they could be, though the assumption they were similar to the Reapers was quite obvious.

A little while later, all of them heard an explosion from the swamps, and countless birds flew up startled, covering the sky for a brief moment. That was when Agent Kuo's radio chirped.

“ _Their mortar is out of commission. But I bet there's more Militia hiding out ahead”_ , Cole informed them, though Dana swore there was glee in his voice.

“I heard that”, The NSA agent commented dryly. Yeah, no joking. _Everybody_ in a five-mile radius probably heard that. “What exactly did they have?”

“ _Just a boat loaded with mortars. But maybe they should have secured the ammo. A little fire and they blew up like it's the fourth of July.”_ Dana would bet anything that Alex had his hands in that. He just _loved_ blowing shit up.

Kuo sighed. “Let us know when it's clear.” Then she shut the radio off and exhaled very slowly. “What were they  _thinking_ ?” She grit out. “I'm pretty sure the Militia could hear  _that_ all the way to New Marais. Our cover is blown.”

“Yeah, but maybe that's for the best?” Zeke suggested. “I mean, if they know what they gotta expect, they're not goin' to be thinkin' straight.”

“Let's hope you're correct about this, Mr. Dunbar.”

The captain was mumbling something under his breath, but it was too fast for Dana to understand it (and it was in either French or Creole). He was tense, though she didn't know why. Alex was gone and the Militia too, there was nothing he should have been afraid of.

When the radio chirped again, the man almost jumped off the trawler.

“ _Okay guys, clear to dock”_ , Cole's cheerful voice declared. 

“Nice”, Kuo replied. “We will come to you, and then we will head out for Wolfe's lab.”

“ _Sounds like a plan”_ , the Conduit answered. 

“ _Dana?”_ , Alex's voice cut in. _“Cross should be here soon, right?”_

“He should be. I hope these idiots don't cause too much trouble, though.”

“ _Once you make contact, can you call Cole? We have to pool our information together.”_

“Can do that.”

“ _Good. You can warn him of these 'Swamp Beasts', if you want to. We haven't seen any here though, so that's maybe not as important. The Militia's being the bigger problem. From the looks of it, they're your standard heavily-armed-but-idiotic-rednecks. They could mean trouble.”_

Zeke sighed. “New Marais ain't what it used to be. Thanks to the Militia.”

“ _Don't worry. We'll deal with them”_ , Cole pointed out. _“Though it is a little strange. I mean, I get it why they shot at Alex. But me? C'mon, I'm the nicest guy around. But they don't like me.”_

“That's probably because they're basically terrorizing the civilians”, Kuo explained with a soft voice. The disgust she felt, however, quickly bled into her tone and made it bitter. “Bertrand has, more or less, complete control of the city. He's using the Militia to locate 'deviants'- basically everybody who doesn't fit with his image of the city- and removes them. At the same time, he keeps feeding the people lies, so they don't realize what he's doing.” She exhaled. “I haven't found out what happens to those he has removed. We need to be careful.”

Alex scoffed, just as Cole snorted.  _“Yeah. I'd say bring it.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to New Marais!


	7. Forward Momentum

Cole had a distant look on his face when he switched the phone off- a look that slowly solidified into anger and confusion. “I didn't know these hicks kidnapped people. What do you think?”

Alex inclined his head, furrowing his brows. “Could be your standard power trip”, he suggested. “Bertrand has his men capture troublemakers like muggers, or people he  _deems_ to be troublemakers, while telling the civilian population that it is to keep order and peace. Tell the lie often enough combined with an actual result and suddenly he's the savior.”

“People would have to be really stupid to swallow that lie.”

“And that surprises you?” Alex glanced at the Conduit. “Please tell me you don't actually believe humans are _smart_.”

Cole blinked, frowning. “I always thought they would realize when they are being told bullshit?”

“Only a few smart individuals”, Alex felt obliged to point out. “The rest is content to just follow what they are being told. And they blindly believe lies, while ignoring those that question the common opinion.” He hummed in his throat for a bit. “Dana said it's like reverse swarm intelligence. The more humans come together, the lower the overall intelligence is.” He's seen it, too often to count. People milling about while a few blocks away monsters reigned.

“Okay. Duly noted”, Cole sighed. “People are dumb.” He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes distant again. “I shouldn't be surprised I think. I mean, these idiots went after _me_ after they were told I had the bomb- despite it being so easy to figure out that I was a courier.” He scoffed. “Hell, even George jumped on that bandwagon. And he was the one who's _given_ me the damn package.” He fell silent abruptly, and air left his lungs with an audible sigh. “Fuck. I miss them. Do you think we could have saved them?”

“Probably not. You've seen how the Beast just took us apart. The only chance they had would be if they had done the smart thing and gotten out of Empire. Though...I doubt they did the smart thing.”

There was a bit of silence, before the Conduit turned back to him. “But we can still turn it around, right?”

“Maybe. It would be interesting to see what Wolfe had found. Listening to his opinion would help immensely. No matter whether he's telling the truth or not.”

“Sometimes I wish I had your optimism”, Cole grumbled as the two of them slowly walked along the dock, keeping an eye out for the trawler.

“It's not optimism”, Alex replied. “I just know things you do not. And I know Kessler trusted Wolfe. So I'm marginally more positive than you that he could help, I guess.”

Cole smiled briefly. It was a tiny thing, but it was there. “That's one way to express it.” Silence stretched between them as they watched the trawler approach. “So. These 'deviants'”, the Conduit began to speak again. “What do you think Bertrand's doing to them?”

Alex had wondered about that too. It would certainly not be very easy to hide so many people away. “No idea. Slave labor is possible. As is organ harvesting. I just wonder how he managed to cover it all up. Possible he's planting the rumors of this Swamp Witch and the Swamp Beasts to prevent people from looking. With enough people under his control, it wouldn't be too hard to pull off. However, we won't know until we get to him.” And that opened a whole different bag of problems. The chance that they'd get Bertrand to  _talk_ was slim to none, and he was currently incapable of consuming.

_Currently_ . Hopefully this would clear up. The chocolate bar had actually helped- but it was too little to be really an option. Maybe he needed more?

“You think your Blackwatch buddy can help?”

“If anything, he could offer a different insight in this problem. He could have a different view point, and that might be all we ever need to figure shit out.” Could be all what _he_ needed.

Cole didn't fish for another reaction, just turned his attention towards the boat that was currently going through docking procedure. Dana was the first one to jump off the deck and down on the pier, instantly making her way over to Alex.

“How are you?”

“I'll manage-” He cut himself off when his sister was staring straight at his face. “What?”

She blinked. “Sorry, but uh- is that  _chocolate_ you got on your mouth there?”

Alex grumbled under his breath and moved to wipe it off, while Dana chuckled. “I thought you don't eat?”

“I don't. But whatever happened to me, it makes _eating_ a legit way to get energy.”

“Okay, then I'll guess I'll scrounge up some snacks and drinks then”, Dana commented easily, as if it didn't show just how fucked Alex felt. “After Zeke and I found a secure place to be. Pretty sure Cross can figure out where we are, so no need to leave hints.”

He most likely would. That man was like a bloodhound, capable of deducting correctly where and when Alex was going to show himself. Sometimes he felt he was lucky that he wasn't the standard Blackwatch agent, or else he would have had a lot more problems.

“What about James?”

Alex blinked, glancing at his sister's face. “Heller?”

“He could help too. Actually, I think I would vastly prefer him over Cross.”

Huh. He hadn't even  _thought_ about the Evolved. Though now...it was a valid option.

“Can you call him?” Dana prodded, “Tell him to come here?”

The Runner nodded briefly and exhaled once, trying to focus on the Hive-

Something was wrong. There was no change in his vision, no muting of his world. Instead, a sharp stabbing pain jabbed itself through his skull and left an ear-splitting static behind. Startled, he aborted it with a hiss, and shook his head. The next attempt however, looked exactly the same.

He cut himself off, growling under his breath and shaking his head like a dog. “Doesn't work”, he grit out through clenched teeth. “I can't- can't access the Hive Mind.”

Dana's eyes widened. “What?” Then she caught herself with a groan. “Fuck. You sure you're okay?”

“I am. I will be”, he replied, though it sounded uncertain even to his ears. “Shit, I don't know.”

She watched him, before her expression settled. “We'll find a way”, she claimed. “Fixing your problem and taking down the Beast. Not sure in which order, but we'll manage.”

The strange thing? He believed her. Because he  _knew_ that sooner or later he would be back to his normal state.

* * *

Kuo was just finishing handing a check over to the trawler captain, who barely wasted any time hauling ass out of there. Cole wondered just what exactly had made him that nervous? Alex? The Swamp Beasts? The Militia?

Probably all superstition, far he could tell, though most rumors had a kernel of truth in them.

He felt a hand grab his wrist, and he turned his head to see Kuo tug at his arm.

“We should leave”, she told him in a low voice. “Wolfe is waiting.”

Cole blinked. “What about Alex?”

“I'm afraid Mr. Mercer will just draw too much attention if we were to walk through the city-”

“I managed to tail _you_ and you didn't notice me”, Alex's voice claimed, though if it startled the agent, she didn't show it. Mercer was glancing at them from the corner of his eye, and Cole definitely felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Kuo wasn't as affected, and she merely arched an eyebrow. “It may have worked when you were able to hide your appearance by assuming another, but now? I doubt that the Militia are as blind as you think.”

“I don't intent to keep them blind”, he said simply. “On the contrary- I know I am too noticeable. And that is exactly why I refuse to stay.” He turned to face them fully. “I remain near Dana, and I will draw attention towards her and Dunbar.” He lifted his claw, pointing at them. “You, however, you and Kuo- you already have a target on your backs. When I follow you around, these idiots won't even realize that there are others of us who can pass by them.”

Kuo was eying him critically, though Cole just shrugged. “Makes sense”, he told her eventually. “He's strong and durable enough to act as our meat shield. Plus, no kill like overkill, I'd say.” He blinked suddenly, mouth hanging open just a little before he cleared his throat. “Not literally, I mean. Please don't massacre every hick we find.”

“Not if they don't give me a solid reason to.” Pretty sure that just meant 'being aware of his presence', though Cole wasn't one to nitpick. Hicks had it coming after all.

“See?” the Conduit grinned, turning to the agent. “Also, he's more useful if he's with us, instead of babysitting Zeke.”

“I know that”, Kuo replied with a tired tone that told him she was aware that she wouldn't be able to stop either of them anyways. “I am however uncomfortable with the prospect of someone following us around who appears like one of these 'Swamp Beasts'. Cole, we are here to meet with Doctor Wolfe and find a weapon against the Beast. Too much attention will complicate matters.”

“Then uncomplicate them”, Dana commented simply. “Any time you make contact with these hicks, have Alex take over. They probably _already_ know you're working together, so why keep pretending? That way, they keep their attention on him, while you can deal with Wolfe easily.”

“Sounds like it would work”, Zeke added with a shrug.

“I could stay out of sight when a swarm of Apaches and UAVs was looking for me”, Alex scoffed. “I can sure as Hell stay out of sight of a few bigots.”

Kuo held his stare for a few tense minutes, before she relented. “Don't show yourself unless we give you the okay. Or when we're in over our heads.”

The Runner snorted. “Don't worry about it. Right now, I'm not very hot about being shot at myself, so sure. I stay out of sight as long as necessary.”

Though he probably wouldn't mind murdering a group of dickbags.

The two of them eyed each other for a moment before Kuo finally broke the silence with a simple “Good”. She fished out her phone from her belt and tapped in a number, switching to speaker as soon it connected.

“Hey Dr. Wolfe”, she greeted curtly. “I'm back in town. I have MacGrath.”

“ _Good. Very good.”_ Another voice answered. Cole inched closer in hopes of hearing more, maybe remember the face from another life altogether. No such luck, though Mercer obviously did- his attention had switched to the phone with a nearly frightening focus. _“Unfortunately, I have a bit of bad news.”_

Cole muttered “Of  _course_ ” under his breath, while Kuo's expression became worried. “What? Are you alright?”

“ _Yes. But the Militia searched my lab this morning and discovered the Blast Core I'd been hiding.”_

Kuo's eyes sharpened while Cole felt his own attention slipping. Blast Core? What the Hell was a Blast Core? “Okay. Stay in your lab. We'll swing by the West Lookout and see if we can get it back.”

The connection was cut suddenly, and the agent kept staring at the phone. “This is not good”, she eventually bit out. “To think that they got their hands on the Core...”

“Uh, dumb question here”, Cole eventually piped up. “But what the Hell is a Blast Core?”

“It's-” Kuo began, obviously struggling for words. “I don't know how I can properly describe it. It's kind of...whatever's left of a Ray Sphere detonation?”

“That's the gist of it.” Cole shouldn't have been surprised to hear Alex piping in- though he actually was.

Kuo was a bit baffled, and for her, a bit was actually a lot. “How do you know of it?”

“Kessler knew”, Alex said curtly. And he knew what Kessler knew, Cole added mentally. He swallowed his words and cleared his throat.

“And what did he know?”

“Every time the Ray Sphere is activated, condensed Ray Field Energy will collect at its core”, The Runner explained easily, only to suddenly grit his teeth and briefly shake his head. “Kessler figured these residues were- weren't useful. He still called them 'Blast Cores', though.”

Dana looked a little worried. “You okay?”

“Yeah. It's just...kind of fuzzy. Don't remember so well about that part.”

“Back on track”, Cole demanded, partial to learn more, and partial because the topic didn't seem to sit so well with his friend. “These Cores basically materialize inside the Ray Sphere after each blast?”

Alex glanced at him for a moment. “They do. Kessler and Wolfe learnt early on to remove the Cores before trying to use the Sphere again- or else it simply wouldn't work.”

Cole's brain lurched into clarity, memories snapping to the front of his mind. Memories of a tower made of trash metal. Of Alden. Of Kessler. Of  _Zeke_ .

Trying to use the Sphere, but the Sphere didn't work- The Sphere that had went off before.

“Wait, you're sayin'-” Zeke gasped, “That when I tried usin' the thing- it wouldn't've worked anyways?” 

“Yes”, Alex told him bluntly, his face briefly twitched. “Kessler knew this. He removed the Core once he had the Sphere, then handed it to his men. He figured you were going to get the Sphere sooner or later anyways.”

“He was upset when I blew it up”, Cole noticed.

“He figured you'd be desperate enough to use it and boost your powers- remember David, who had several powers because he'd been exposed to the Sphere several times over. He thought you would do the same, unlock a few more abilities. However, he couldn't foresee that you would attempt to destroy it. And despite the thing having been build sturdy enough to survive energy blasts from its inside, it was never meant to withstand too much energy from the outside. You've seen what happened.”

“It killed John”, Cole growled darkly. His brows drew together. “Why didn't you say anything about these Cores?”

The Runner shrugged. “It never came up. And with the Sphere gone, I figured there weren't any Cores left-” He grimaced for a short moment, squeezing his eyes shut for another second. “Kessler- he thought he had them all destroyed. Because...because they didn't mean anything to him?”

_That_ was a question. And it was worrisome. Because it would either mean something was wrong with Alex, or something had been wrong with Kessler. And that opened another bag of problems- if he couldn't even trust Kessler's  _memories_ , who could he trust instead?

“I didn't think that Wolfe still has one.” Cole blinked, having nearly missed what Mercer added as an afterthought.

Kuo's eyebrows were arched upwards. “He has several. Or had, because now apparently the Militia has them now.” She inclined her head. “I'm surprised. I haven't known Kessler confided into someone else other than Wolfe.”

“He never did voluntarily”, Mercer pointed out.

“And it's not important right now”, Cole quickly added. “The important thing is to find Wolfe, and possibly get one of these Blast Cores back. Right?”

“Correct”, If she was angry about him cutting off her extended Q&A session, Kuo didn't show it. “I know of a Militia outpost that had been close to Wolfe's laboratory when I've been here last time. It's possible the Core is there. If not, we could possibly find information of its whereabouts.”

“Right, what are we waiting for, then?”

* * *

Dana and Zeke remained behind as they watched Cole and Kuo jog down the street, while Alex easily took to the roofs and vanished from sight.

The younger Mercer sighed and grabbed her rucksack, slinging it on her back. It wasn't very heavy, but the combination of the high humidity and the overall heat that still lingered even in the late evening made it near unbearable. She pulled her baseball cap deeper into her face and scoffed under her breath. “How in the Hell does Jane Bond  _do_ that?”

“Do what?” Zeke blinked, momentarily forgetting about his and Cole's bags as he looked up.

_Walking about in a two-piece-suit and not melting_ , was the first thing on her mind. But she banished that quickly. It wasn't important, and asking it out loud would be  _childish_ . The second, more serious thought, was the one she actually voiced. “Remaining that grounded. I mean, she's risking her job, her  _life_ \- Millions are dead, the East Coast is razed to the ground. And she still faces down  _Alex_ like she has no fear.” She had been afraid, though. She had seen it on her stance, on the entire posture of her body when facing the viral entity that was her brother. And yet she managed to swallow that fear and work with him. Dana admired her for her courage and determination, though a much darker part of her just  _waited_ for the woman to turn around and jab a knife in their backs. Maybe Alex's paranoia finally started rubbed off on her, because all she could think of was  _Karen Parker_ . Who did stab Alex in the back, with a parasitic cancer weapon even.

Though, Karen was coerced into doing it, along with _knowing_ that Alex wasn't the real deal. So that hadn't _really_ been back-stabbing, if you thought about it. Still, Dana would feel a lot better if she just knew what the agent was thinking. She didn't trust her, not really, but she was aware that if she would have tried anything funny, she wouldn't have waited until Alex got his strength back.

So maybe she was being serious? Dana figured she owed her that much doubt at least. Though, admittedly, she would feel better until she had Cross and/or Heller nearby. And alone the fact Alex had been unable to connect to the Hive was worrisome in itself, she just hoped he hadn't lost anything more-

A thought that quickly became but a fading flash when a distant crack sent tremors through the ground. She ducked to the side instantly, eyes flitting from side to side. Zeke only blinked, then craned his neck over his shoulder. “Uh, not meanin' to be rude, sister, but that coulda've been a backfire, or a droppin' box, or a car crash-”

Another crack sounded, and this sounded way more like an explosion than the previous one already did. Silence followed, in which Dana slowly glanced at Zeke. “Dunbar, I can recognize the sound of a bazooka firing. I had enough of it in Manhattan, so you can believe me that somewhere here  _somebody_ ”, she didn't need to say  _who_ was responsible, they both were well aware, “Is firing a fucking rocket launcher right inside the middle of a city.”

“Crap”, Zeke groaned, quickly grabbing his and Cole's bags. “We gotta get outta here.”

“No doubt about that-” Dana cut herself off and glanced back when a third explosion echoed. They were getting fainter, so moving away from them. “But remember- running blindly away _and_ sauntering will draw attention.” She furrowed her brows for a moment. “Best is to try to appear startled by all of this, keep looking over your shoulder, but only for a block or so. Also, move quickly, but without running. Keep your head down too. Just, fuck, just do what I do.”

Zeke chuckled, but fell in step besides her as the two of them made their way off the pier and down the street and away from the noise that betrayed Cole and Alex making short work of the Militia hicks. “Well, I gotta admire that in a lady. Knowing how to slink away without makin' a fuss.”

Dana snorts. “I've been on the run for three years, Zeke. I learnt a few tricks after the first few times when Blackwatch came knocking.” She grimaced briefly at those memories. The first time it happened they've been in Miami. Alex had picked it for several reasons: First of, Miami is a large city. Easy for them to hide. Second, the sheer amount of unlicensed homes. Easy to find a place to stay for a while, had been the only choice they had before either of them learnt how to fake an identity. Third, criminals. Miami was  _ideal_ for feeding Alex, though Dana suspected this had been the reason Blackwatch found them in the end. Fourth, the heat and humidity. For some reason, this had been the main reason Alex had wanted to go there. Hot and humid. Just like diseases liked, and Alex obviously wasn't too far away from his basic siblings in that regard, because he had been way more active and, dare she say it, more  _happy_ in Miami than any other place they've been at.  
When they've escaped to Maine after Florida, they spent the entire winter snowed in some small cottage. No Blackwatch anywhere, though Alex had been moody the entire time. After that, Dana decided to risk it and remain in warm areas. A few more daring escapes, and they finally perfected the 'blending in' thing, though still moved around every few weeks to finally throw Blackwatch off their trail.

A Militia blockade appeared at the end of the block. Dana motioned for Zeke to follow and, without drawing any attention, turned left into an alley. A dumpster at the end was pushed asides to reveal a handy hole in the chain-link fence that allowed them to head towards another street. Instead of going for it, they weaved their way into another direction only to finally head back to their original track. Only then Dana finally stopped and sat down on a small wall with an exhausted huff, pulling off her cap and glancing at her companion.

“That should've thrown any stalkers off. Where to now?”

“Smut Triangle”, Zeke pointed out without missing a beat, though he was obviously just as tired as she was. “The Red Light district. I knew a madame here-”

Dana grimaced. “No thanks. I don't need the full story.”

He pouted. “Party pooper”

“You can trust her?”

“Much I trust anybody. I helped her and some of the ladies out. Bad deal gone wrong and it only escalated from there.” Dana wondered whether it had really been Zeke who helped out, or _what_ exactly the problem had been. Knowing Zeke, it was probably something as mundane as fixing the Wi-Fi, though there was the chance that he used his uncanny ability to create contacts wherever he went to actually help them with legal troubles. “They promised they'd help me in turn. Guess it's time to collect.”

She actually doubted it. In times of martial law, people never helped strangers. Especially strangers that could bring trouble down on their own heads. However, Dana was also aware that Zeke somehow always knew the right people for the right job, so she was almost certain that they would gain help in some form or the other.   
So she followed after him as he made his way through the tangle of streets, past some artists peddling their wares and deeper into the city. They also walked past a huge church, and any other time Dana would have loved to check it out. Now wasn't such a time, and she promised herself she would look at it when everything was over and the city still standing. If not, well, chances were she wouldn't be around then either.

So, why even worry about it?

She scoffed at that thought. Fuck these negative thoughts, they  _were_ going to get through this and live to tell the tale. They  _would_ . After all, they were both still around, still alive. Even after everything that happened- after Manhattan and Miami and Manhattan  _again_ and Empire and every other place Blackwatch cornered them at. This- this was just another problem they'd have to get through.

Dana snorted, then turned her attention to a pickup truck passing by them. There was a group of silly-dressed, heavily armed guys on it- Militia, from the looks of it. She scowled at them as they passed, though these men didn't pay them much attention. They did, however, jeer and wave their rifles and hunting bows, and she did catch at least one yelling something about 'Sticking it to this weird bastard'.

“Prolly lookin' to screw Cole and Alex over”, Zeke grumbled besides her.

“They won't stand a chance”, Dana replied bitterly, throwing her head over her shoulder and spinning on her heel. “But it makes me _sick_ to see a bunch of fuckers like these parade all across the city without any care in the world.” They made _Blackwatch_ look like normal and _sane_ people, for God's sake. And Blackwatch was, by definition, the worst scum in the world.

“I feel you”, Zeke nodded sagely. “But if everything goes like we want to, they won't be here anymore at the end of the week. End of next week, tops.”

It was clear he was trying to distract her. It was actually nice of him, so Dana decided to play along. “I'll go for a week and a half”, she claimed. “Though I'm also betting on at least one major industrial and/or commercial area being destroyed over the course of the time.”

“Pretty much to ask for.”

“You haven't seen what Manhattan looked like in the end. I'm positive that between Alex and Cole it'll be easy to level a city block.”

“Only if Cole manages to hit the gas main”, Zeke pointed out. “I mean, lightning's awesome and everythin', but basically only show, you get me? Pretty hard to crumble buildings.”

“Not if he targets the electrical systems. One stray lightning bolt into the main feed and the whole city goes dark. Maybe even the entire county.”

“That's my brother for you”, Zeke beamed. “Yours can terrorize the people, but mine can demolish the whole economy.” And that was a lot more useful in damaging a country than terrorizing the population. Was possibly the reason Moya wanted to get Cole between her slimy fingers.

Zeke made a noise and stopped. “We're there.” Dana blinked and glanced at the front of what she assumed was an 'escort store'.

“A brothel?” Well, actually, she should have expected something of the kind when Zeke mentioned the Smut Triangle. But apparently she had been under the impression that their hideout would have been one of the many apartments along the streets.

Zeke grinned. “No shortage of strangers going in an out, you got water and energy, and nobody is going to bother you if you don't want to. It's ideal!” He paused, expression falling. “Let's just hope Sherry is still there, or else I'm gonna have to change the plan.”

_Sherry?_ Now that was a stripper's name if she ever heard one. Dana bit it back, though, and followed Zeke inside the building. It was...she wasn't sure  _what_ exactly she expected, ropes and BDSM gear, or pictures of naked women or something, but the truth was- it was a simple room in deep red decor, with a couch and dozens of pillows, a low table and a form of counter sitting between two doors leading further inside the building. Behind the counter perched a woman. Dana's first thought went back to Zeke's introduction.  _I knew a madame-_ , yeah, madame was the correct description for the impressive figure looking disinterested at a television screen at the side.

“Sorry, but we's closed right now. Openin's after eight. Come back in an 'our”, she rumbled in a rich tenor.

“Really?” Zeke drawled, and the woman's head snapped up. “Not even for an old friend like me?”

The woman's face turned ashen as she automatically stepped around the counter. “Zeke?” She pressed out thinly, “Is it ya? But- Empire-”

“Kicked the bucket, I was there”, he grimaced. “Barely got away in time.”

The woman had approached them, was eying Zeke for a moment, before she reached over and pulled him into a hug. With their similar statues and her being at least twice his age, they almost looked like mother and son. She was muttering something in French at him, sobbing a little while she did, Dana realized with a start. But she was  _happy_ , glad to see Zeke again.

She eventually let go of him before it could get any more awkward, and turned to Dana, who'd taken to attempting to merge with the wallpaper.

“Who's dat?”

“Not questioning whether you can trust her?”

The woman huffed out. “Zeke. I know ya. Ya only drag in people dat you trust. So who is she?” She glanced at the younger Mercer with a smile. “Not ya girlfriend, dat much I can tell. She's too much for ya.”

“I'll ignore that comment, Sherry”, Zeke mumbled exasperated. “Anyways, she's Dana. Dana is the sister of Alex. Alex is Cole's new best buddy.”

“Cole?” Sherry's head snapped towards the other. “He's here?”

“Yeah? We escaped Empire together.” His brows furrowed and Dana heard the unspoken question loud and clear in the room. _Why? What's going on?_

Sherry glanced at them for a moment longer, then exhaled heavily and turned back to head over to the television set to turn up the volume. Just in time for a heavy piece of instrumental music play as a form of jingle. The man walking on stage was timing his movement perfectly with the music playing, until he stood on the podium and spread his arms. He was wearing a dark suit, gloves and boots. His hair was slicked back, but shaved at the sides, while an ornamental sword was fastened to his side.

“ _Friends”,_ he began with the smooth voice of a practiced speaker. _“I am afraid I bear bad news. I am afraid that, while we are speaking, a Demon entered our beautiful city.”_

Sure. 'Demon'. Dana had forgotten they were in the South. While not as bad as Texas, Louisiana still had its charming raving maniacs claiming to be under orders of God. Nobody seemed to question whether the Big Guy up there actually  _bothered_ looking after them. Most likely not, judging from what people did to each other ever since they made their ways off the trees.

“ _The Demon that fled from Empire's ruins and now came here”_ , the man on the screen continued. By now, Dana was pretty sure she knew who he was. Joseph Bertrand the Third. The one holding New Marais hostage. _“He came with a smiling face and friendly words, but don't be swayed. This man came to you with death and destruction following after him.”_ Bertrand's face twitched, and Dana recognized a played emotion when she saw one. _“He came here with the powers of the Devil, with the fire of the sky stolen from The Lord to do his evil deeds.”_

“That's a load of crap”, Zeke muttered under his breath, though Sherry just made a shushing noise and turned their attention back to the screen. _“His name is Cole MacGrath, and the Death of Empire is following after him. Only by purging him from this great city, you can save yourselves.”_

Sherry shut the television off and turned to face them. “Cole's not very loved in dis city”, she said simply.

“Crap. That's making it a bit tougher”, Zeke groaned. “But it's exactly what I wanted to ask you.”

“Ya need a safe place to lie low”, Sherry deadpanned. “And now ya worried I won't give ya one out of fear of Bertrand and his men.” She exhaled long and slowly, and Dana imagined her taking a long drag of a cigarette. She probably stopped not too long ago. “Ya in shit luck, Dunbar. I told ya I owe you. And I do.” She waved her arm around, golden bangles clacking slightly. “My girls and I- Bertrand's men are giving us too much trouble. I got some friends fed up with dem too. We just needed an opening.” She grinned at them. “Tell ya kids what. Ya help us get this old goat off our backs, and we in turn provide ya wit' whatever you need.”

* * *

Cole was following after agent Kuo, finding himself equally startled and surprised by her ability to run in heels. Women who could do that, Trish had once told him, were to be  _feared_ .  
Trish- he paused for a moment- he missed her. She had been taken from him by  _himself_ , and he remained alone, because he had been too slow to save her. His fault, and now he even failed to protect her grave.

He scoffed, all good mood that might have been left evaporated within the blink of an eye.  
Great. Now he had to hurt somebody to make up for it.

That chance established itself when he and Kuo jogged down the harbor street and headed right to get into the city proper. Cole's radar shrieked a warning at him and he just barely managed to lunge towards Kuo and tackle her and himself out of the way, seconds before a rocket exploded on the street, tearing a hole.

“What the Hell?!” He snapped, shoving the agent behind a car while sending out another pulse to map his surrounding and find the perpetrator just perched on the second balcony in this street, just next to a bar Cole wouldn't have minded getting a drink from. “We're not in some swamp! There are _people_ here!”

“I don't think they care”, Agent Kuo grunted, drawing her gun from its holster. Cole was faster than her though, darting right back into the open to draw the man's attention. While he was reloading his bazooka, Cole targeted the wooden balcony he was perched on, letting the high-powered lightning bolts rip through the ancient construction to collapse it beneath the weight. The merc smacked hard into the street with a swear, though the Conduit caught up to him before he had his head back together and whacked him once with the Amp to knock him out cold. “Bastard!”

“There are more over there”, Kuo claimed, pointing further down the street where more hicks were. Cole was about to hurry over and fry them, when he heard the distinct _crack_ of something being torn from its holding. The next moment, a derelict-looking air conditioner came soaring across the street and smashed into the small group, crushing them to paste.

Cole blinked, and the agent groaned. “Correction”, she added. “There  _were_ more over there.” She grimaced. “That probably won't win us any friends.”

“I doubt we had any friends to begin with”, Cole scoffed with a glance at the few civilians who hadn't fled. He felt his back crawl unpleasantly, so he just grabbed Kuo's wrist and pulled her into an alley. “We shouldn't be on the streets. Not with that many trigger happy idiots wanting to blow us sky-high.” Too many civilians in the crossfire. He couldn't stomach the thought, so he needed to be as far away from them as possible. A truck blocked their way, and instead of climbing over it, he threw out his arms to generate his shockwave. Too late he realized that it was one of those powers he lost-  
The truck bounced backwards awkwardly.

Cole blinked in confusion and surprise, then shifted his stance to fire off a second shockwave. That one hit the car at a better angle, shoving it right out of the way.

“Oh hey.” The Conduit clenched his fist and summoned his lightning inside of it, creating the familiar shape of his grenade. “I can do that again!” Could _still_ do it? He wondered whether he hadn't really lost his powers in the first place.

“Impressive”, Agent Kuo said simply. “It seems you're recovering quite quickly.”

“It won't be enough. Wolfe can probably tell me more.”

“Most likely. Come on, we're almost at the West Lookout. That's where the Militia outpost used to be.” She was about to head into the streets on the other side of the alley, when Cole stopped her. Another hick was hiding on another balcony just to the front of them, and he had another bazooka ready. The Conduit carefully cocked his arm, fashioned another grenade- and chucked it over. He relished in the man's startled shout of alarm, and a grim smirk appeared on his face when the grenade went off and catapulted the idiot off his perch and into the street, knocking him out cold.

He was about to head into the alley across the street, when a single gunshot rang out far too closely and he witnessed how another hick, one he hadn't seen before, collapsed into the street.

He whirled on his companion, who just lowered her handgun. She arched her eyebrow and gestured towards the street. “Now we can go.”

“Shit, you killed him? Thought you were supposed to be the nice one.”

She smiled a little. “Thanks for your trust in me, but don't worry.” She gestured loosely towards the guy, who, as Cole was just realizing, was just unconscious. He had, however, a bleeding wound in his leg. She quickly noticed his glance. “I targeted the meat. I know I didn't hit any major arteries, but these low grunts aren't as tough as they pretend to be. Painful wound like that and the shock will knock them out for a bit. The leaders are probably a bit tougher, though.”

“Huh. Nice to know.”

In that moment, another guy tried to jump him. Actually jump him. Cole jabbed his elbow into the man's stomach, then spun and slammed him into the ground. The man went limp and the Conduit straightened up. At that moment, he noticed another figure on a rooftop. Three seconds before a shadow suddenly shot through the sky and slammed into it hard enough that the crack was still audible even down here.

One life sign faded instantly from his internal radar and Cole grimaced. And that was mostly because he didn't want to imagine the mess the owner of this building would have to clean away.  
Not because a human was just crushed to paste.

“Bastards have made their choice”, he growled under his breath.

“ _Lucy? Lucy, are you there?”_ The static screech of Kuo's phone startled both of them, though the agent had enough mind to drag him into another alley before she answered. “Doctor Wolfe?!”

“ _The Militia are back!”_ Wolfe's voice was panicking. _“They're trying to force the door to my lab.”_

“Shit”, Kuo growled. “I'm on my way.” 

She was about to sprint out of the alley when the exit was suddenly blocked as something heavy hit the floor and cracked the ground. Alex's teeth were bared in a snarl and his eyes promised  _murder_ . “You're too slow on your own. Before you get there, they'll have him dragged away. Or worse”, he growled. “I'll take you.”

Agent Kuo didn't even ask  _how_ he knew, just grit her teeth. “Good. I'll show you the way.” She turned to face Cole. “Keep going towards the West Lookout. The Core glows purple, you can't miss it.”

“I'll find it”, he responded automatically. “You go and help Wolfe.” Kuo nodded once, tensing her body when Alex more or less scooped her up with his shin-long talons. Cole had one moment to watch real fear cross her features as she squeezed her eyes shut and just mumbled a single “Hurry”, before Alex took off and darted into the sky. He heard yells and shooting coming from their approximate direction, though that was fading fast into startled murmurs and muffled swearing. They probably thought the danger had passed them by with no interest in them- well, Cole grinned, that meant they were going to be in for quite a _nasty_ surprise.

He seized the rainwater pipe of the tallest building, charged up briefly- and catapulted himself straight upwards. Which proved that he hadn't lost his abilities, only his stronger combat powers. And that was something he could work with.

He took the guys there by surprise, his momentum carrying him several stories straight upwards before it petered out- and by then he had managed to latch onto the roof edge and drag himself upwards. “It's the Electric Man!” The singular man nearby yelled. Cole assumed that the smear on the floor had a sibling near the remains of a watchtower nearby, and this guy just got lucky. He wasn't lucky now. Cole's Amp broke his shoulder and knocked him out cold. This rooftop was a good surveillance area, though apparently Alex either had failed to pick off all of these guys, or- more likely- the backup had already arrived. Though obviously, there weren't any more of them around, so all he had to do was clear the area to have them off his back. Two thought it would be hilarious to throw a Molotov Cocktail at his head. He bounced it back with the shockwave, hit the guys too, and sent all of them screaming off the roof. And there, just between the remains of the watchtowers, was a suspiciously glowing crate.

Cole couldn't believe his luck and was about to approach it, when a scream made him pause. He whipped around, eyes zeroing in on what was happening on the streets. A bunch of Militia was just in the process of closing in on a single woman. Clearly, she was one of those 'deviants'. There was this hot, ugly anger spilling up inside of him, and Cole just threw a last glance back at the crate, before he threw himself off the building.

Static electricity started gathering around his body, and when he hit the floor, he made sure to slam the Amp flat against the ground to release the energy he gathered. Three guys went down instantly, the other two he knocked out with a few well-placed lightning bolts. The woman they were harassing however, just stared at him with wide eyes before she shrieked and ran off.

So much for playing hero, huh?

“Guess this whole business is a bit tougher than in Empire”, he muttered to himself with a slight shake of his head. He drained a nearby lamp post to replenish his energy, then headed back to the roof where he left the crate. Purple light was crawling through the gap between lid and body. He approached it slowly, using his Amp to open the box instead of his hands, seeing as it could be a trap.

When nothing blew up, he peeked inside. A roughly forearm-sized crystalline structure sat at the bottom of the crate, glowing softly. Could this already be it? He had never seen a Blast Core before.

It was warm when he touched it, and he could feel it pulse softly in his hand. He tapped the headset he currently wore. “Kuo? I'm pretty sure I found it. You still at the lab?”  _Already_ . He wanted to say 'already', though knowing Alex, 'still' was maybe the better word. There was no answer, however. Only static. Cole scowled and pulled the communicator out of his ear, glaring at it.

Fried. Of course. He'd had to get his radio back then, hopefully Zeke had managed to fix it. Okay, so he had no way to contact the others, and  _no clue_ as to where the lab even was-

An explosion shook the entire city, and Cole just had enough brains to duck for cover. His blood was roaring in his ears, and his pulse hammered inside his head-  
_Not right. Not yet. There was time supposed-  
No Beast._

That realization set in too slow. There was no Beast here. The explosion- it wasn't anything more than what he already experienced. Militia had explosives, probably blew up something.

And then his eyes found the ball of fire growing skywards several blocks away. He saw bits and pieces being sprayed away from the sheer force of the blast. His head started throbbing, because he  _knew_ where the explosion happened.

Knew what was there. Knew, because he'd been there, in the past. With the only person he ever considered a friend in this world.

_Wolfe_

And that was  _his_ lab that just blew up.

Cole was moving even before his brain caught up to him. He lunged on top of a wire, ground along it and catapulted himself right across the next rooftop to continue his way on the next one. He watched glowing projectiles hit the face of New Marais all over the place, watched how they cracked windows and sent people scrambling. That was always the worst with explosions. The debris it catapulted around. Caused more damage than the blast in itself. He should know. Empire's crater was worst at its edges.

There was somebody nearby. Cole thought it wasn't important, but then he caught a full blast of a rocket launcher to the face. The air he inhaled burnt. His ears stopped working, his body simply went limp as the explosion threw him off the building he was on and sent him crashing into the streets below.

Had the world always been that gray?

Oh. No, it hadn't. Fuck.

Cole snarled in equal parts agony and rage, and managed to climb to his feet, stumbling towards a street lamp. Forcing himself to focus, he latched onto the city grid and linked it with his own body, drawing energy out of it and into himself. Colors returned to his world with agonizing lances of  _hurt_ as his tissues repaired themselves. _You are tough, you heal fast, but too much damage will hurt you, cripple or worse._

He's forgotten about that one. Just because it was easy knocking out these hicks didn't mean they were  _harmless_ . And that just now- it  _could_ have ended him. And then there would have been nobody to stop the Beast.

And that bounced these idiot Militia bastards a few levels up on his personal shit list. A low growl worked itself out of his throat as Cole grabbed the lowest window sill near his position and pulled himself up, testing how sturdy it was- before he launched himself upwards to grab the next ledge. Kicking his feet lightly to find some grip, he easily and quickly worked his way up towards the roof edge, but this time, did not jump straight up. Instead, he sent out a Radar pulse, found the guys who shot him, and lugged a grenade over the edge. When it went off, he followed after it and lunged at the guys as long they were still off balance.

“It's the Demon!” Somebody yelled some buildings further away. Cole grit his teeth and fired at him, knocking him out, but somehow that just lured all these guys out of their hiding holes.

And the smoke plume was already shrinking.

_Screw this_ .

He didn't have time to deal with  _all_ of them, so all he could do was blow a path through a few of them and hope the others got the message.

So he got moving, racing along the rooftops and occasionally dropping idiots left and right while he kept his eyes peeled for anything suspicious. And he did find what he was looking for- a half blown apart, still smoldering building. Wolfe's lab, he remembered, had been here.

His pulse picked up again, and he was only half-aware that there was a curious lack of hicks around when he landed on the crumbling remains of the building.

“Wolfe?” He spun on his heel, searching for anyone still alive. “Wolfe?!”

“MacGrath” He whirled again, this time spotting a lone figure appearing from the remains of what had once been a laboratory. Cole ran towards him, hyper aware of the fires still burning nearby and the crumbling ground underneath.

“Doctor Wolfe? Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes, I am”, the man assured him. Cole furrowed his brows and still checked him over. His white hair stood slightly away from his head, there was a crack in his glasses, his tweed jacket, his pants and shirt were covered in soot and there were a few tears in the material, but he was unharmed otherwise. “Lucy and this...fellow who was with her arrived shortly before the Militia could break open the door.” He grimaced slightly. “It was...not a very nice sight.” Cole caught sight of what looked like human remains, and winced. Oh yeah, he could imagine _that._

“That was Alex, and believe me, he's actually one of the _good_ guys.”

Wolfe nodded simply. “I figured as much. You see, while Lucy looked after me, this- well, I can still hardly call him a 'man'- he suddenly grabbed both of us and ran out of my lab, seconds before it blew. Hadn't it been for him, I wouldn't be standing here anymore.”

“What happened?”

“Apparently, Bertrand's men had left a little parting gift when they have first forced entry to my laboratory. Lucy asked the man to help her find the ones responsible and look whether there were any hurt civilians. She told me you would approach soon, so all I would have to do was to stay put-” He had cleaned his glasses and had placed them back on his face when he suddenly cut himself off, expression slackening. “My God.”

Cole blinked. “Doctor Wolfe?”

“You look just the same.”

“Same as who?”

“Kessler”, Wolfe replied simply. “The man who gave you your powers.”

“I know who Kessler is”, Cole bit out, and there was lightning snapping from his wrists. “But he is _not me_!”

Wolfe flinched back briefly, then slumped his shoulders. “I know what he's done”, he admitted. “I could piece the things together I heard from Empire, and of course what Lucy told me about what the NSA had found. But...we were friends in the beginning.” Cole wondered whether that had been mutual. Or whether it was just like with Sasha. Kessler had used her for her knowledge- and then he simply abandoned her.

“He told me everything”, Wolfe explained. “About you. And the Beast.”

Cole grit his teeth. “Then you know I failed. I couldn't stop it. Empire City is  _gone_ !” More even, they only ran into problems since they came here.

Wolfe deflated visibly. “Yes, I know. But I have always thought we had more time. Kessler had thought we had more time, though we have all been mistaken.” He inclined his head, watching Cole curiously. “He never told you about me, did he?”

“No. We...weren't really on speaking terms.” Not after he blew up his city, and especially not after he murdered his girlfriend.

“He figured you'd never be able to stop it on your own. Not until you've expanded your powers and became powerful to use _this_.” He turned and went back to some rubble, carefully easing it apart, and Cole momentarily forgot to breathe.

“A Ray Sphere?!” But- thousands had to die to give him powers! Did Wolfe really expect him to-

“No. It's a Ray Field Inhibitor”, Wolfe told him, and Cole realized that this thing looked different by a _lot_. While it was roughly the same size, this thing was actually more shaped like an orb-like dumbbell than a real sphere. It was glowing blue. “RFI for short.” Wolfe furrowed his brows. “Think of it as an Anti-Ray Sphere.”

Anti-Ray Sphere? Cole carefully took it from Wolfe, turning it over in his hands. “Instead of giving powers, it takes them away?”

“That's what it was supposed to do. Use it to combat the Beast, subtract its powers.” Wolfe paused with an awkward grin. “Though, for obvious reasons, I never had the chance to test it.” He nodded towards the remains of his lab. “Please keep it safe.”

Cole furrowed his brows and shoved the device into his backpack, feeling it settle awkwardly against his spine. “How does it work?”

“It has to be powered first, I'm afraid. I found that it only works when in the hands of a Conduit, as it is their specific own radiation that triggers its properties. However, it also appears that, to make it work, this Conduit needs to be...tuned to the RFI.”

“Tuned?”

“Yes. I just told you, it needs the radiation Conduits give off to work. However, it also appears this, well, this 'aura' needs a specific energy to trigger it.”

Cole didn't really understand what Wolfe was trying to tell him. “And?”

“The Conduit that has to use the RFI needs to have bolstered his or her powers beforehand. Using Blast Cores.”

“Blast Core?!” Cole's hand slipped back into his bag and he retrieved the purple crystal he had taken off the Militia. “Like this?”

Wolfe seemed surprised. “Yes. Exactly that.”

“What does it do?” Cole drew his brows together. “Kessler always figured they were useless.”

“Technically, they _are_ useless”, Wolfe told him. “These Blast Cores are condensed Ray Field Energy left behind, much like molten glass at the bottom of a nuclear test site, but I figured they had an effect on Conduits. I...only figured that out after Kessler left. Thought to call him, but somehow I just never did.”

That definitely caught his interest. “So?”

“Like I told you, it boosts a Conduit's powers.” He hummed for a moment as he thought how to word it. “Basically, if you pass a current through it, it will release the energy into the nearest Conduit, triggering additional mutations on their genetic code to unlock different powers. Or that was supposed to happen, since I had only theory to work with seeing as I had no Conduits to test it on.”

Cole's head snapped up. “Different Powers? So it'll make me stronger?” Sounded just like when he jammed himself into the substations back in Empire's sewers.

“It appears that way, remember, I never actually tested it. However, it seems that it actually relates directly to the RFI's unique energy signature.” Wolfe smiled a little. “When I punched the numbers into my calculator, it made a happy face.” He pointed at the Core in Cole's hand “And that is only _one_.” 

“Kuo said you had more Cores?”

“Yes. Kessler and I experimented quite a bit with the Sphere. I kept some Cores out of curiosity.” The doctor smiled again. “I theorize that, after consuming the energy of around half a dozen Blast Cores, a singular Conduit will be able to use the RFI. This Conduit is you, Cole, and you will be the one to defeat the Beast. We can do it together.”

“Activate a few Blast Cores, gain powers _and_ get the ability to beat the Beast? Heck, enough with the Pep talk”, Cole grinned, clutching the Core tighter. “Let's do this?”

A current, huh? It was almost as if the Cores were designed for his usage. He was  _made_ to generate currents.

He held the Core in front of his body, bracing himself while Wolfe discreetly pulled back a little to give him space. Was probably wise, because from what he experienced with the substations, there was going to be quite some electrical field being generated when he did.

He focused on the Core in his hands, imagining all the neat abilities he was going to get- and sent a few volts through the crystal.

He...probably should have thought this through more. Because the current slamming through him was anything  _but_ pleasant. His clenching fingers dug into the Core before it simply disintegrated beneath his palms.

And then it started to  _hurt_ . Heck, he thought it would be like the substations, but the truth was- it was far from it. It burnt and bit and tore through his body, snapped his limbs away from his body as if trying to tear him apart from the inside out. There were bright lights all around him, and he didn't even know where his  _arms_ were, or his legs, or Hell, his  _head_ , because everything hurt and everything burnt and he just wanted to make it  _stop_ -

Like a rubber band, whatever held him just  _snapped_ , and his consciousness crumbled away even before he dropped to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smart move, Cole. Smart move.
> 
> Anyways, fixed a few issues that bugged me from the in-game portrayal, added a few of my own thoughts to it. There you go!


	8. Found

_Brilliant idea, Cole_ was the first active thought that managed to get through his addled brain. For a moment, he couldn't even remember what happened in the first place, or where he was. He remembered, eventually.

He'd been with Wolfe, near his exploded lab. And then he activated the Blast Core. And now he was on the ground and still half unconscious.

Smart move.

He wondered whether Wolfe knew what was going to happen, or whether the man was currently freaking out over him. And then he became aware of the _shooting_ and his heart did a leap. Because he was still in enemy territory, and they already blew up the lab here and he was friggin' defenseless when he wasn't moving-

He heard what sounded like blades whistling through the air, heard the fleshy impact bodies made when they hit the floor, and decided that this was probably the best moment to get up.

He pried his eyes open, blinking blearily to try and identify the form ducked across his body. He blinked again when the shots stopped abruptly with one last horrible somebody-dies-noise.

Cole's eyes finally focused, and next he tried to work his tongue. It felt like he needed a few tries before he made a sound that was at least approximately spoken language. “Alex?”

The form over him paused and turned his head towards him, pale eyes gleaming under the dark sky overhead.

“What happened?” The Conduit asked. His head felt like it was going to burst open and spill brains everywhere, and his limbs were strangely shaky.

“I'm hoping you would be able to tell me”, was the reply. It sounded kind of...angry? Mad? Worried? “What have you been up to?”

“I...” Cole furrowed his brows. “Wolfe told me I'd get stronger if I use the Blast Core. So I did. Don't know what happened after that.”

Alex eyed him, before pulling him to his feet. “Part of the city went dim”, he said. “Kuo couldn't contact you or Wolfe anymore, so we came back.”

“Back? Where have you been?”

“Further inside the city. We've been chasing a few guys who we thought had some of Wolfe's research material. We didn't even notice we've been that far out when we realized that something was off.” He scowled deeply. “When we arrived, the Militia already had Wolfe dragged off. They must have seen me, because the next thing they did was trying to kill you. I discouraged them, Kuo tried to get to the guys who dragged Wolfe off.”

“She wasn't successful”, the agent's voice said in a defeated tone. Cole turned to watch her climb the fire escape to the remains of Wolfe's lab, looking disgruntled and somewhat wind-swept. “They got away. Must have planned all of this, which means they are smarter than we gave them credits for, because all the guys we caught were just grunts.”

“Crap”, Cole groaned. Then, to Alex: “Can you try to find their track?”

The other just shook his head. “I can't. Too many different trails here. Too many disturbances.” He stiffly jerked his chin over his shoulder towards the still smoldering remains of the lab. “Ashes. Explosives. Chemicals. Bleach alone is already enough to throw me off the track. This stuff over there is a nightmare.”

“Damnit”, Kuo swore. She fell silent, brows knit together. “Means we got nothing?”

“Not nothing”, the Conduit said slowly. He swung his bag to the front and retrieved the RFI. It was in pristine condition, glowing softly in his hands. “I still got this. Wolfe called it the RFI- Ray Field Inhibitor.”

That got both their attentions and they drew closer. “Inhibitor? It stops a Conduit's Ray Field?” Kuo questioned, just barely quicker than Alex.

“Yeah. Wolfe said it won't work, however, unless I absorb more Blast Cores.”

“The light show just now”, Alex muttered, cocking his head to his side, “That was you absorbing the Blast Core?”

“Felt like Hell, but I'm okay now.” Better than that, actually. He felt...a little different. More alive. “I'm not sure, but I think I got new powers?”

“How would you know?”

“It just feels like it, okay?” He bounced on his heels slightly, fingers twitching. “Gotta try it out.” He had no idea what it was, but it was...drawing him towards the streets? The last time he felt that he had learnt how to grind, and his body had drawn him towards metal lines. He hopped off the roof and slowly wandered to where he felt the strongest pull.

A car.

Cole furrowed his brows and circled the car, figuring that maybe he was reacting towards an electrical outlet behind it?  
There wasn't one, and neither was a hydrant. And it most likely wasn't the charge inside the battery either- he had learnt early on that it was impossible for him to drain the electrical charge out of a car battery. All he did when he tried was merely shorting the car out. So that wasn't it either.

Still, he focused a little, feeling the energy gathering in his hands. It wasn't much different from what he knew from his kinetic pulse, though it was _different_ . He sent out a shockwave, and the car...not exactly bounced back. But it did _jump._

 _Huh_.

There was a heavy crack and he turned to see Alex approach, whose focus was on the car this time. “You just lifted it”, he observed simply.

“Lift?” Cole furrowed his brows and focused again, this time trying to keep the pulse even. What he managed this time, was more akin to a blue glowing field of energy- which, when he targeted the car, lifted the vehicle several inches off the street and held it suspended there.

 _What?_ He slowly lifted his hand, and the car hovered a few more inches upwards. Then he threw his hand out, and the car sped away, landing with a loud splash in the harbor basin.

“Sweet”

Alex was just glancing at the ripples of water with a scowl on his face. Cole cringed internally, suddenly realizing that even while he retained some of his old abilities, he also had the potential to gain new ones- and the Runner had basically lost all that made him who he was.

“Shit, man. I forgot-”

“Save it”, Alex growled and Cole flinched back from the heat in his voice. He wisely did not push the matter, since obviously he had no desire to be reminded of what he lost. He cleared his throat. “Uh, I'm not going to pity you, 'cause I respect you a lot more than that. Also, you are still stronger and a lot tougher than I, so...trust me when I say I don't want to piss you off. It's just- I kind of start talking before I actually think of it.”

The Runner huffed out. “I am aware. And I know you are probably the only one who has a real chance against the Beast, so congratulations on having made the first step.” It was genuine, but sounded still bitter. Cole grimaced.

“Hey, look at it from that side- I'm pretty sure you are the only one here who can pick up tanks and throw them across the block. Throwing cars around is a lot harder than it looked.”

“The car owner won't be happy either”, Kuo's voice commented deadpan, and the two men turned to look at her approaching them properly. She was holding her phone in one hand. “Dana just called”, she informed them. “We are needed at the hideout.” She furrowed her brows. “She said Smut Triangle, though didn't specify the location.”

Cole blinked. “Smut Triangle? I think I know where then”, he pointed out. “Place's called 'Martini'. Or it used to be named that way back when Zeke and I have been here. We used to live on their roof, because Zeke helped the girls with some legal trouble. If it is still here, I guess that's where we should go.”

“Do you still remember the way?”

“Yeah. I mean some things have changed, but I've been around for so long, I can probably still do it in my sleep.” He motioned for them to follow him. “Let's head over to St. Ignatius. Place was nearby.”

* * *

The sky was already dark, though the oppressive humidity only eased a little. With sundown, the swamp nearby came alive. Heller had already heard frogs croak, cicadas chirp, and at least one bull alligator grunt loudly. Over all of it was the constant buzzing of the near hornet-sized mosquitoes, that luckily held no interest in him- though the others on this roof weren't as lucky. The Smut Triangle was slowly waking up too, though the jeering of the Militia in contrast had somewhat lessened over the course of the evening.

Drawn away? Or did they actually call it a day? Most likely not, but he was going to take every breather he could. He'd been on the edge the whole time they've been here, listening to what he quickly learnt to identify as the voices of these fucking hicks to figure out whether they came closer or not, whether they had discovered them. He wasn't sure what he would have done if they had- though it was entirely possible he would have fucked them up without thinking twice.

Which, in hindsight, probably wasn't so smart as Cross had wrangled the promise from him to not start a fight. Not because they wouldn't win, but because he wanted to keep hidden for as long as possible. And taking out a bunch of rednecks? Was not very stealthy.

And still, Heller was glad to be here. Because he had found Dana, and she told them that her brother wasn't far off. Better yet, they had someone who had the best chances at stopping the Beast. Chances were _chances_ , and still he had a good feeling in this case. They had something. And they would find a way. Maybe already did. Though they probably would need help in finalizing everything.

“...yeah, I'm very sorry for not calling you. But there was no phone to be had. I'm here and I'm okay. And Alex is here. And our new friends, Cole and Zeke”, Dana told Maya. “You have to meet them one day, because they're so cool. But we do have some problems here, there is a local rich guy who obviously hates having us here. He's a real Bond Villain, complete with his own villain theme playing every time he makes his appearance. Speaking of which- we have this super secret super spy here too. She's just like James Bond, only a lot more competent. I guess that's because she actually knows what she's doing and doesn't get distracted easily. I call her Jane Bond.”

“I bet you don't do that to her face”, Heller threw in simply. Dana glanced at him, before turning back to the phone. “Your dad's right. I'm usually not calling her that. Doubt she would be pissed, though.” She paused with a grin. “Yeah, I know. I'm not supposed to teach you bad words. But I know perfectly well that your dad is always saying worse things. Okay, so we will hear from each other again. Be good to uncle Ragland. Goodbye.”

Dana handed the phone over, and Heller accepted it. “Hello baby girl.”

“ _Hi Daddy. Uncle Ragland says to say Hello.”_

“That's good to know. Let him know I owe him.”

“ _And you owe me too”_ , was her reply. _“I'm still mad at you.”_

He grimaced. Sure she was. Had every right to, too, because he just left her like that. _“I know, I know. You're out to save the world and Aunt Dana and Uncle Alex with Uncle Cross, and Mr. Henna and Uncle Ragland are nice to me. But I am still mad.”_

Heller exhaled with a chuckle. “Then tell me how to make it up to you once I'm back. I don't want you to stay mad at me.”

“ _Hmm. How about you take me out for an ice cream at the Fry Hut? And I want Aunt Dana and Uncle Alex there too. And maybe Uncle Cross. And maybe Dana's friends from where you are.”_

“The Fry Hut?” Heller grimaced slightly. “If they are okay with potentially artery-clogging food, I think I can promise that.” But seriously. He sometimes swore he was on his way towards getting a full-blown heart attack just _smelling_ the Fry Hut. However, Maya always claimed that they had the _best_ ice cream (he doubted it), so if she wanted to go there, then they would go there, clogged arteries or not.

“ _When will you be back?”_

“We just arrived here, baby girl”, he replied with a sigh. “I really want to be home, but until now I haven't even seen Mercer, or these friends of his. So far, we have no clue what is going on here.” He furrowed his brows. “Maybe a week or two. But I promise, not any longer.”

“ _Will you take down this monster?”_

“I don't think it will be _me_ , though Dana told me that one of their friends here could do it. But he'll need my help for it. And that's what I'm here for.”

“ _So you'll help saving the world?”_

“You can bet on it.”

“ _Will you be too busy to call me?”_

“Not a chance in the world. I'll make time, and if I have to beat up every last hick around here to get a connection.” And that he meant with every inch of his body. “Nothing's gonna stop me from talking to you.”

“ _Promise?”_

“Promise”

“ _Then I will hear you tomorrow?”_

“Yup” He shifted his body slightly when something changed in the air. He became more tense, though his voice didn't change. “Now do what Dana told you. Be a good girl and get ready for bed.”

“ _I will. Good night, daddy.”_

“Good night, baby girl.” He waited until she ended the call before he dropped the phone from his ear, glaring at the city in front of him. “He's coming.”

Cross lifted his head. “Mercer?”

“Approaching”

“About time”, the Specialist grunted, getting up from the folding chair he had picked as his own.

Dana was quick to step up to them too. “Fair word of warning- something fucked up happened to Alex. He's a bit touchy about it, and I don't know what is going on.”

“We already guessed as much, seeing as Heller here hadn't been able to get into the Hive Mind”, Cross commented. He inclined his head, glancing at the crowd slowly filling the streets below. “Which of them?”

Dunbar, who had hung back until now, slowly approached the roof edge and glanced through his binoculars for a moment, when a grin appeared on his face. Dropping the binoculars, he grabbed an insect zapper and switched it on and off in a rapid succession- and Heller noticed one of the people down there pause for a split second and snapping his head into their direction. Young man, shaved head, yellow t-shirt. Sort of metal rod on his back? He motioned for his partner, an Asian Woman in a two-piece suit, and the two of them subtly changed direction and marched towards them.

Heller's brows came down, and he slowly turned to glance at Dunbar- who instantly ducked his head and attempted to make himself smaller. “Dunbar. Your friend MacGrath- he got a yellow shirt, right?”

The fat man blinked. “Uh. Yeah. Wait-” He blinked and flicked his binoculars to his face again. “You can _see_ him? From up here?!”

“Got good eyes”, Heller deadpanned. Guess he had kind of forgotten how far he could see- it often came to him as a surprise that his colleagues at the crime labs couldn't see details from far away. “So it's him, yes? And you just sent him some form of signal?”

Dunbar blinked again, then warily smiled at him. “Cole can sense electricity. Switchin' a lamp on an off in a place like this gets his attention, you know?”

“So you flashed him a Morse code without others butting in?” That had applications.

The fat man seemed to be a little more at ease around him already. “Kinda. I mean I don't know Morse, and Cole doesn't either. I'm just flaggin' him down.”

Heller made a sound and turned his attention on the shadow following after the two on the street. The one crossing buildings. His world slipped into muted colors of orange and brown, and his hand instantly lit up white. The figure on the roof did too, sparkling bright in the otherwise drab background- but there was no voice he could hear. Only an ever-increasing white noise that made his head hurt. With a grimace, he shifted back into normal vision and the white noise faded into a soft hum at the back of his brain.

“That him, huh?” Of course Cross would notice him too. He didn't wait for Heller's confirmation, just folded his arms over his chest and scoffed lightly, picking up his voice somewhat. “Then get over here, you son of a bitch.”

Mercer hesitated despite likely having heard him, then headed off the roof and vanished somewhere in the maze of alleys around their current location. Cross just arched an eyebrow and turned his attention back towards the fire escape they had used to climb towards this roof. And sure enough, the woman scrambled over the edge soon, though she stopped with narrowing eyes at the sight of them.

“Are you Dana's contact?”

“I am”, Cross replied. “Colonel Robert Cross, Rank Specialist. Blackwatch.” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, indicating Heller. “Sergeant James Heller. Ex-Marine, now NCIS.”

“Friend of the Mercers”, he added.

“Blackwatch?”, the woman, likely this 'Jane Bond' as Dana called her, furrowed her brows further. “You've been in Manhattan. Far I heard you changed your tactics with the replacement of General Randall with General Rooks, correct?”

Cross cocked his head. “If you mean we're finally doing the job we were _supposed_ to do, then yes.”

“And we trust him”, Dana added, just getting over and grabbing for the arm of the man in the yellow t-shirt to help hauling him to the roof. Once up there, he brushed off his pants and glanced at the two of them. “So you just flew in here to help us?”

“I've been in Empire the moment it blew”, the Specialist scoffed. “Nearly killed my team. So yes, I am _invested_ in taking this bastard down. You MacGrath?”

The man turned defensive. “I am”

“Good, then listen well. Dana here ensured us you had some way of fighting this giant. Do you have, or are we wasting time?”

“Whoa. Rude there”, the other man had drawn back as far as he could without falling off the roof, but his fists were clenched and eyes narrow. On the other hand, however, he seemed more than nervous, and Heller noticed his gaze flicker to the side from time to time too, so he apparently couldn't decide whether to fight, or to run. He didn't blame him- for a normal human, Cross was downright scary.

“He doesn't sugarcoat anything, Cole” Oh this _motherfucker_. Heller suppressed the flinch and the urge to punch Mercer's smug face when he realized that he obviously deliberately moved towards them from downwind, having made it impossible to notice him on time. And that allowed him to virtually appear out of _nowhere_ , startling both Dunbar and Dana (and possibly Cross too, though he wasn't showing any signs of it). MacGrath, however, didn't seem too surprised. “Little warning next time?”

“I wasn't about to draw attention from _any_ side”, he said simply.

“I don't care”, Cross growled, turning his attention back to MacGrath. “You got an idea how to tackle this thing, or not?”

“Yeah, yeah. I have one shot”, the other man grumbled. He moved back towards the little seating area, dropping on the couch there and taking his bag off. “I met with Doctor Wolfe, and he gave me this.” Heller crossed his arms, Cross just arched one eyebrow. Neither said anything, knowing fully well the Conduit was going to talk by himself as he finished drawing what looked like a mixture between dumbbell and orb from his rucksack. “He called it RFI, Ray Field Inhibitor.” He grimaced briefly. “No, better is to start from the beginning. We already figured I wasn't supposed to have the kind of power I throw around casually, and Kessler suspected there was another power source. No idea whether this is true, but Wolfe seemed to think it too. That's what the RFI is about, you know? Cut off a Conduit from their power source. Wolfe seems to think that it'll work on the Beast too.”

“But it'll only works if the Beast is a Conduit itself”, Mercer pointed out.

Much to Heller's surprise, however, it was Cross who scoffed. “Reports claimed that an object called _Ray Sphere_ was responsible for the activation of Conduits, correct?” He glanced at the NSA agent next. In response, the woman nodded with a surprised expression on her face. “Now, there is something you can't know here- wherever the Beast walks, _Conduits_ appear. They are often the only survivors that are left behind after it is done with a city. Last I heard the NSA and FEMA collected them to make sure they wouldn't be able to hurt others.”

“Wait- the blast-” MacGrath's expression turned wide open and alert. “When _I_ got my powers, I woke up inside a crater and everybody around was dead. Now the Beast walks around, makes craters out of cities- and creates Conduits?”

“Like the Ray Sphere”, Mercer said as if it made any sense. “It is...a literal walking Ray Sphere detonation?”

“That is possible”, MacGrath continued. He glanced thoughtfully at the sphere in his hands. “And if the RFI cuts off a Conduit's power source by blocking the Ray Field, we can shut the Beast down. Like switching off a light.”

“You sure it'll work?” Heller demanded to know, because seriously? This looked way too much like comic physics than real life- but then he remembered that the kid allegedly could pull lightning out of his ass and he himself was a super soldier currently, so maybe that thought wasn't as idiotic as it seemed?

“Wolfe had never been mistaken until now”, the NSA agent claimed. “Even the most absurd theories- he could prove them correct. I'm sure the RFI will work.” She furrowed her brows. “Plus, Bertrand's shown incredible interest in it. His men had taken the Blast Cores- Blast Cores that we are told are the key to activating the RFI. At the same time, his men also had managed to kidnap Wolfe despite our presence. So seeing it from that angle, I'm sure there is at least _something_ true about this whole thing.”

That made sense. A lot of sense, at least when applying the whole mess to what they had apparently established were Conduit Physics. Heller sighed through his nose.

“Okay, so in short- The big thing, the Beast, can possibly be stopped with the RFI we already have. This Wolfe person would know more, though he's currently in Bertrand's hands- and we need him back.”

“So figure out where he is, break in, snatch him out from under Bertrand's nose”, MacGrath summarized. “Additionally, we also need to look for more Blast Cores. Wolfe estimated one Conduit would need to absorb at least half a dozen to even activate the RFI. I already had one, so it should be secondary priority to find the Blast Cores.”

“Which Bertrand's men should know about”, the agent added.

That shouldn't be complicated, Heller figured, because they had one here who could gain information with nothing more than a simple snack-  
Would it?

Heller's eyes moved to Mercer, just as Cross's did. The Runner wasn't looking so hot. More even at the mentioning of gathering information. And both, MacGrath and Dana, were grimacing awkwardly.  
Something was wrong.

Cross's expression didn't change, though there was a thoughtful glint in his eyes. “Mercer”, he said simply to draw his attention. Then he pulled his combat knife from its holster and jabbed it into his throat.

* * *

There was one thing Cross had learnt early on: Always trust your instincts. And his instincts had been right about New Marais, the Mercers, and their allies. They _had_ a way to fight the thing they called 'Beast'. He was no scientist, but what MacGrath told them about the RFI orb appeared to make sense, at least.

And this was exactly what he didn't like. He didn't wanted to include unknown factors into his work. Conduits worked- he had seen the reports from Empire- but that didn't tell him _how_. The viruses he was used to- they followed rules. Twisted nearly beyond recognition, but they were still there.

Conduits did not follow anything other than their own rules. The best example for this was MacGrath himself. He had control over electricity. But it was limited- absorbing, storing, expelling. At the same time however, he was capable of giving off more energy than he initially absorbed, disregarding anything he knew about the conversation of energy. Which hinted towards what this Doctor Wolfe suspected- that their powers originated from somewhere else- which would make cutting off their energy source a viable way to deal with the Beast. But the details still escaped him.  
Doctor Wolfe would know, or at least shed some light on it. However, he had been taken by these hicks, and from the way Dana cringed, he could tell it wouldn't be too easy to get him back.

Because something was fundamentally wrong with Mercer. And that did not only include the reason as to _why_ he hadn't changed back already, seeing as he wouldn't need to continue to intimidate those who were his allies. Heller might have been lying about not being able to have access to the Hive Mind, but shapeshifter or no, Mercer looked bad.

Cross had only seen him once like that, and that had been surveillance images picked up when he was affected by the cancer. This time, however, he was certain that there was no parasite around, so this reason was right off the table.

Still, he needed to _know_ where exactly the limits where. He picked up his voice. “Mercer”  
The Runner's attention turned on him immediately. Cross hoped to God that he wouldn't react poorly, and yanked his knife free.

Immediately jabbing it into Mercer's throat just where the armor met flesh. The Runner jerked back with what was definitely a pained snarl, and Cross instantly stepped into his range to avoid the brunt of those talons. Without wasting another moment, he snatched his hand out and grabbed Mercer's chin, turning his head slightly to get a better look at the injury.

“Yeah, shut it. I have seen you growing back your face from having it blown off with a shotgun”, he said simply as he observed black liquid ooze sluggishly out around the blade.

“Doesn't mean I enjoy being stabbed”, the Runner hissed in reply, though offered no further resistance. Which also made the others stop dead in their tracks. Cross decided to count it as a win, since he could see electrical arches snapping out of MacGrath's body and Dana looked like she was seriously considering murder.

Cross snorted and grabbed his knife with his free hand, yanking it back out in one sharp motion. Mercer growled enraged, though didn't move in any way that indicated he was about to rip his head off.

There was no writhing. None at all.  
But there should be. Every time he healed, there were these small tendrils, squirming as they positioned themselves in holes where flesh should be, then flattened and shifted their appearance to _become_ flesh.

Cross's brows drew together as he twisted the Runner's head in his direction to look him in the eyes. “You don't heal”, he said simply.

“I do”, Mercer snarled. Sure enough, the bleeding was already slowing down, the wound starting to close itself. Within the next few minutes, it would be gone. But minutes were still more than mere _moments_.

“You lost your shapeshifting?” Mercer flinched, eyes widening by a fraction before narrowing to slits. Cross exhaled through his nose and let go of him, stepping back. “Great”

Which meant that consuming was off the table too. He didn't know how it worked, but he knew that it included a lot of shapeshifting. And if this was lost- well. Meant no consumption.

“What happened?” Heller demanded to know, now also close by and looking surprisingly worried.

“What do you think?” Mercer snarled. “The Beast happened.”

“I think that requires a little more explanation”, MacGrath threw in, now finally without the lightning and looking a lot more puzzled than angry. “I mean, explanations that doesn't have anything to do with stabbing.” He added a moment later with a glance at his knife. Cross snorted and wiped it down with a tissue he dropped into the fire pit afterwards.

“He told you I don't sugarcoat anything.”

“Dude. You. Stabbed. Him. In. The. Throat.”

“Heller stabbed him too. And ripped his arms off”, Cross shrugged. MacGrath's face fell and his head snapped to stare at Mercer, who shrugged. “He didn't know I was just as confused by the new Outbreak as he was.”

The Conduit's jaw moved slightly. “I don't want to see what you do when you actually _argue_.”

“Attempted murder. Or city-wide genocide. Depending on who was the offender”, Mercer said simply.

“I'm still not used to you _joking_ ”, MacGrath rumbled. They all were silent for a moment, before the Conduit turned to Cross. “Alex and Dana both told me that you were their to-go-to person when there was something fucked up going on. Anything you can tell us?”

“Not without knowing what actually happened.” All he had was 'the Beast happened'. “I assume you made contact with this thing?”

“That's one way to put it”, MacGrath ran a hand over his scalp with a sigh. “You know, we were about to leave Empire to come here- when the Beast appeared. Alex and me, we beat it down again and again and again. He jabbed one of those Devastator thingies into it, I blasted it to pieces. Resulting shockwave knocked us both down, and the next thing I knew was we were on a ship and the Beast had come back and blew the Hell out of Empire.”

“Devastator?” Heller cocked his head to the side. “You jumped a living explosion?”

“Wasn't much else to do. It was trying to crush Cole. I wouldn't let it.” There was more to that, because it sounded a lot more like a spur-of-the-moment thing than real coordinated attack. But then again, despite his intellect, Mercer had never been someone who liked to think things through.

And that finally came back to bit him in the ass. Cross furrowed his brows. “Something doesn't add up then. Fire shouldn't be able to damage you that much that you lose your powers.”

“It wasn't the heat”, Mercer scoffed. “But a Ray Sphere explosion gives off Ray Field _radiation_. The Beast obviously does too.”

The Specialist was just floored with the answer. “And being perfectly able to at least _suspect_ that, you still jumped it?”

He grimaced slightly. “Until now I always reacted differently towards radiation. My Biomass died off to prevent damage to my DNA. I kind of figured it wouldn't be so bad. Lose most of my body, but discard it and grow a new one. This time however, it didn't. I lost my shapeshifting, and with it, all my powers tied to it.”

That...didn't sound like something radiation would do. Radiation was simply messing up the chemical structure of a body, and that in turn caused cancer and wide-spread cellular death. What Mercer described was...as if he was devolved. But...Cross eyed the talons that made up his arms now. These things were familiar.

“Show me your claws”, he told Heller.

The Evolved blinked. “What?”

“You heard me. Do it.”

The Sergeant didn't question it further, just flexed his fingers and willed the transformation. His fingers became bony talons, his skin thickened and grew scales. The process took a few moments, but the final result looked a lot like what Mercer had currently, if looking a lot healthier without the cracked skin and blistered joints.

“Shit”, MacGrath breathed, while Dunbar added his own two cents to it. “Slick, man. You Conduit too?”

“Evolved”, Heller grunted, then nodded towards the Runner. “Mercer's the flu, and I caught the sniffles. That about explains it?”

Everything snapped into clarity. Details of previous reports came in, remembered pieces of conversations- everything slid into place with one single word. _Evolved_.

“God”, he groaned. “I think I know what's your problem.” He pointed at the Runner. “You didn't devolve, you _evolved_. Specialized, whatever.”

“What?” Then Mercer's eyes suddenly sharpened. And the gears started moving inside his head, plainly visible. “Of course”, he muttered, followed by something that was neither in English, nor slow enough to be actually understood.

“Alex. English. And slower”, Dana sounded exasperated, as if this was something that happened every day. Again, Cross found himself wondering just how the Hell this guy had been a thorn in their side ever since Manhattan, when he barely managed to string his thoughts together without external help.

The Runner paused, blinking at them for a moment, then snapped into motion again. “Evolved. You said evolved. That's all this thing does. It evolves other living things.” He glanced at MacGrath. “It's a Ray Sphere, isn't it? And the Ray Sphere evolved all humans with the Conduit gene to Conduits, killed everybody else. Evolved even me, made me specialize my cells into real tissues, not just something _looking_ like the real deal.” He turned back to Cross. “But that isn't all, is it, Cross?”

Now _there_ was the smart bastard he remembered. A grim smirk tugged at the Specialist's features. “The Beast constantly gives off this Ray Field Radiation. Anywhere it appears, a cloud of the stuff is formed. Wind carries it down the coast, infects the next town. And then the Beast makes its appearance, kills every person and leaves behind a bunch of terrified Conduits.”

“And?”

“Now you're telling us that this thing _evolves_ the people. Which means the radiation isn't there to kill, but to evolve. But it evolves most of them into the wrong direction. Their bodies can't deal with it, form cancer. Die a week or two later- if they didn't get blown up before. But whatever this Ray Field Energy is, it is _smart_. It tries again and again. It makes more Conduits. What for?”

There was something flashing in Mercer's eyes, and his shoulders hunched to the front somewhat. “Redlight”, he breathed.

Redlight was similar. It tried to mutate humans, tried to alter them. Most of them died. Greene, at least, had endured it. But PARIAH had been the result the disease wanted. It had _evolved_ into something else. “The Beast is a trigger. Something that changes life on Earth.” He scowled. “But this change comes with a God damn lot of collateral damage. I'm not going to let it roam free, and I think you won't either.”

“Not a chance in Hell”

Cross nodded. He expected this answer already. After all, Heller had a serious Hero Complex, MacGrath too as far as he could tell. Dunbar possibly always did what the Conduit did. Mercer, for all matters and purposes, wanted crowds to hide in and find food, and Conduits with their superpowers were a rather tough morsel to chew on. Dana was utterly devoted to her brother. Agent Kuo was possibly the only NSA agent who actually worked the job she was assigned to. And neither of them would want to see their own world go up in flames anyways, especially not when they had a way to fight back.

Just...they were inexperienced. Lone wolves. Not used to work in groups. He sighed, turned to agent Kuo. “Am I right to assume you have a map of the city handy?”

She merely arched an eyebrow. “Street map. That enough?”

“Better than a tourist brochure, that for sure. Now get here, we got a lot to go over before I can sent you guys back out there.”

* * *

Alex wouldn't have thought that he actually missed working with Cross, but now as they were standing around a low roof ventilation unit and staring at a street map of New Marais, he realized that several parts of him simply craved being under his orders. Orders meant direction, and direction meant motion.

“This part of the city has been flooded ever since Katrina. The locals call it 'Flood Town'”, Kuo pointed out. Cross arched one eyebrow and drew a line with a marker.

“You know about where the Militia got bases?”

“West-point Lookout had been one”, the woman explained. “The old plantation is another one.” She pointed to the different locations, and the Specialist circled each area. “Gas Works, which belong to Bertrand is a big hotspot. As is the train yard in Flood Town and the fort here in Ascension Parish.”

“We definitely need to check on those places”, Dana pointed out with a frown on her face. “Asides from stealing the Blast Cores, these hicks abduct people.”

“Technically, they are acting according to martial law. As it is, they have the right to do whatever they want, as long they are keeping order.”

Heller's eyes narrowed. “What are they doing?”

“No idea. It's possible Bertrand has a prison complex somewhere and uses forced labor. God knows the Gas Works are pretty suspicious.”

“Wolfe?”

“Is too important. Bertrand will have him in a secluded area”, Kuo assumed. Cross hummed and looked back on the map. “Do you have any idea where that could be?”

“None”

Alex scowled slightly, knowing perfectly well that he would have learnt things like that near instantly. Which he couldn't do anymore. Even if it wasn't as dramatic as it could have been- being forced into a somewhat living body because he had been given an update that completely corrupted anything that had worked until now was still confusing. He kept throwing glances at the bag of jerky Dana had pushed into his hands, not really knowing what to do with it.

“Hmp. We'll find that one out. Someone will blab.”

“What about the Swamp Beasts?” Zeke asked.

“Swamp Beasts?” Heller and Cross both looked up curiously.

“The trawler captain said there were things in the swamp, eatin' people.”

“We suspected that it were rumors Bertrand spread”, Cole added quickly. “We don't have any proof of anything in the swamp right now.”

“Still”, Heller furrowed his brows. “We should pay attention to shit like that.”

“Tertiary objective”, Cross said simply. “Priority is Wolfe, second are these Blast Cores.”

“And the Militia?”

“The Militia is currently not the target. All we need from them are the locations of the priority and secondary targets.”

“Problem there is”, Dana piped up, “That Bertrand has this every-hour-show running in which he tells people that Cole is a demon who came here to destroy Empire. If he shows his face, people are going to notice.”

The Conduit scowled. “So that was the reason why people ran off from me. Huh.”

Alex finally managed to tear the package open without spreading the contents everywhere and glanced at the jerky pinched between his claws. “What about a two-pronged approach then?”

The others eyed him. He pointed at Cole. “Since he is already marked a target here, and I can't exactly hide currently, I'd suggest he and I draw attention. Make Bertrand's forces run after us.” Act as bullet sponges too.

“So we get a free hand”, Heller realized.

“Exactly”, he turned his attention to the Evolved. “You and agent Kuo, you can gather information the old-fashioned way. Ask around.” He'd been on the highway for so long, getting on the country lane was maybe a welcome change of scenery.

Heller hummed. “I'm all for it, but there is a small problem.” He grimaced slightly. “I doubt the hicks will give us a straight answer.” Probably. With him black and Kuo an Asian woman, Alex figured that these white-dominant Militia idiots wouldn't like to be in the same room as them.

“Pull rank”, he suggested instead. “You've been sergeant, you've been to Iraq. You can work big guns. If you make smalltalk, tell them that first. They'll open up pretty quickly after that.”

It _should_ work, he should have added. Since he never actually tried it. He could act well enough so people wouldn't be able to tell the difference from the real person, but it he didn't like wheedling around for information.

“Wait, shouldn't our super spy have connections?” Dunbar asked.

Kuo sighed. “My mission was simply to stay near Wolfe, work with him, find out how to use what he made against Kessler. When he told me about the Beast months ago, I started straying from my original job to the point I went to Empire without notifying my superiors. After that, the whole East Coast network collapsed. I haven't had contact with them ever since.” She shrugged. “I'm not even sure they know whether I'm still alive.”

“You have been making calls the entire time we've been on the ship”, Dana said slowly.

“Yes. I have tried to establish contact, but that didn't work. So I had to fall back to my sources and own informants instead of actually getting through to the NSA. I guess they were too busy.” She paused for a moment, then added: “Possibly too busy right now too.”

“So you have no connection to the government?” Cross asked.

“None currently. I'm not even sure what's going on outside of New Marais”, was her reply. And she meant it. She inclined her head and eyed the Specialist. “Why, do you have?”

“I do. Maybe.” Cross pointed at the air field just outside of the city. “My Wisemen are currently over here and working with Bertrand. At the same time, my men remain in contact with Detrick, acting as a hub between me and Red Crown. I ask them, and they can rely any information I want.”

The Wisemen? Here with Bertrand? Alex's brows drew together. “Cross. Can you tell your guys to try and figure out where the Militia has the Blast Cores hidden? They should be large crystals, glowing purple.” Bertrand's men had taken the Cores. They had hidden them. If the Wisemen were there, they could figure things out.

“I'll tell them to keep their eyes open. However-”

“If we go and grab the Cores, we'll make sure we act as if we don't have insider information”, Alex assured him. “No suspicion will fall on you or them.”

“That's all I ask for.”

“What about you?” Dana asked. “It's all about Alex and Cole, and Heller and Kuo. What are we supposed to do?”

Cole glanced at them, then Alex and Heller. “I guess you should try to keep your head down. Since you, you know, aren't bullet proof like we three.”

“I'm not going to do nothing”, she bit back, looking livid. Alex actually cringed a little, knowing that this was the face she only had when she was determined to not back down.

“I didn't say that.” Well, to give him credit, Cole flinched back only slightly. “What I meant to say-”

“We need you to dig up the information on the Militia and Bertrand. Things they wouldn't tell the Wisemen”, Alex cut in. “I'm not telling you to sit back, but I want you to not risk your life either.” Because Dana was the most important thing to him. She glared at him for a brief second, before huffing out.

“Okay. Stay out of the line of fire. Got it. But if there is something I want to see, I will see it.”

“Deal.” He eyed Cross. “I think it would be better if you'd stayed with them too.” Dana was fierce, Dunbar a good shot with his revolver, but they wouldn't be a match against dozens of men. The Specialist, however...there was a reason Alex rightfully respected him. Even if he escaped a crashing helicopter, even if he showed a prominent limp and favored his left side over his right- he was still a lot more dangerous than all of these hicks down there.

“How do we contact each other?”

“I got a phone”, Dunbar explained. “Kuo got another one. And Cole-”

“The headset's fried, Zeke.”

“Cole got his phone too”, Dunbar finished, handing it over. “Fixed it and tried to make it surge resistant.”

Kuo inclined her head. “Three phones and three teams, huh?”

“We just gotta stay together then, sister”, Dunbar shrugged. “Besides, we could try and get some more.”

“The Militia's should suffice”, Dana mentioned. “We could use it to listen in to their chatter too.”

“Good idea”, Cross agreed. Alex figured it would make a nice surprise for Bertrand to have his own guys betray him so unknowingly. He wondered how long they would need to figure things out.  
Because he knew nothing about Bertrand, Kessler never having been interested in him anyways, so he couldn't really tell. It intrigued and frustrated him at the same time.

He would learn, sooner or later.

Cross was just glancing at the map, then turned his attention towards the graying sky. Dawn was coming already. “You got any more hideouts, Dunbar?” He asked.

“Not yet, but Sherry told me a few of my other buds are still around. So all I gotta do is ask”, the other replied. “We're gonna get this done right.”

“Good”, The Specialist stood up straight. “As fun as an all-nighter is, I am sure you all agree to not do it too often. Better accommodations would possibly be preferable.”

Alex figured it wouldn't hurt. Plus, an open roof was only hard to secure and nearly impossible to hide away on. He didn't know much about the Militia, but after witnessing them blowing up parts of the city with rocket launchers, he was pretty sure they wouldn't hesitate to lay fire to civilian buildings just to get them.

Everybody cared about the people. He didn't see the fuss about it- he had slaughtered his fair share of civilians as well- but he had promised Dana to tone it down until he had no other choice. Plus...it would probably be easier to have the support of the city rather than having the city against them.

So finding a safe house was fourth objective then.

Cross made a motion, a rough jerk of his chin, and Alex instantly followed after him as he stepped a bit asides. He didn't question, just watched how the Specialist plucked a military radio from one pocket and tapped it.

“Cross to Wisemen. I located and established contact with ZEUS.”

“ _That's good to hear”_ , was the choppy reply. Alex recognized the voice as Santos. _“Kick his ass, will you?”_

“Not yet”, Cross replied with a side-glance at him. “He's still useful.” He paused for a moment, then added “How's the situation with Bertrand?”

“ _Permission to speak freely?”_

“Permission granted.”

“ _He's a piece of shit, sir. He won't let us go anywhere without supervision. And his Militia-”_ there was a noise that sounded suspiciously like she spat at the floor. _“Got to break one guy's hand because he thought touching my ass was a good greeting. He got lucky I was playing nice.”_ Yeah. Because she was Blackwatch. She could have ventilated his body and that of his buddies with basically no repercussions.

“Doubt he'll do it again.” Cross smirked briefly. “Anyways, it seems ZEUS and his ally, MacGrath, have found a way to deal with the Beast.”

“ _The...Beast, sir?”_

“The giant flaming bastard blowing the shit out of towns. That's what it is referred to, so please tell the upper echelons to cool it with the Greek Codenames.”

“ _The situation on that...already evolved, sir.”_

Cross's eyes narrowed and Alex found himself inching closer to listen better. “How?”

“ _It just appeared roughly five hours ago, sir.”_

“Damn it. Which city did it wipe out?”

“ _That's it, sir. It just popped up along the highway. Not even a motel nearby.”_

The two men eyed each other. “And?”

“ _It hasn't disappeared yet.”_ Santos's voice sounded confused and worried. _“It is just walking along, but the radiation readings are off the charts.”_

“Walking?”

“ _It's heading South, sir. Red Crown already sent a team to intercept, but they didn't make it.”_

“Fuck, of course they couldn't!” Cross's teeth ground together. “That thing is a walking nuclear explosion!”

South. It was coming South. It had attacked Cole in Empire. A snarl worked itself out of Alex's throat as he grabbed the radio from Cross. “Santos! Tell Rooks that the Beast is coming here. It is heading towards New Marais!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you have it- the basic of Conduit physics (and what I figured was the reason for the RFI), and what actually happened to Alex. Also, the Beast is coming. Guess this looks like plot now finally.


	9. Morning comes too soon

Alex growled low in his throat, not hearing what the Wisemen Captain snapped at him. The Beast was coming, and it was coming here. Cross wanted to know how he knew.

He just did.

It was so simple. The Beast had appeared in Empire, but instead of destroying the city, it had walked towards them, attacked them. They tried to stop it, stopped it actually for a few hours, and then it returned. With them gone, however, it actually did destroy the city. And started moving along the coast. It had been going slow, needing weeks to cross the distance between Empire and Baltimore, and no matter where it appeared, it always headed back towards the coast.

It had seen them escaping by boat, and it was trying to intercept them again, even without knowing where they would appear.  
But now Cole had used the Blast Core. Had further increased his powers- and the Beast must have sensed it. Must have figured out where he was, was following the trail and forgoing even the safety of whatever pocket dimension it was stuffing itself in when it wasn't destroying cities. It was coming here. It was intending to finish what it started in Empire.

The Beast was going to fight Cole again. Maybe try to stop him from gathering more Cores. They couldn't let it. They had to hurry, had to finish what Wolfe intended them to before it appeared.

They  needed the RFI if they wanted to destroy this thing, if they wanted it gone.  
He scowled to himself when realization set in.  _He_ wanted it  gone without having to fight. Didn't want to have to face it again. Not after it hurt him like it did. Alex was startled by the realization that he was afraid of the thing. Afraid of what it had done to him.

His body was damaged. He couldn't shift, and what remained to him was wrong. He knew perfectly well that he had never been perfect in impersonating his victims- Behavior was easy, if he had the full brain to work with, but  _appearance_ ? Any small change his prey was unaware of he couldn't imitate. Fingerprints were downright impossible to mimic anyways. Even a false body image made him project the wrong appearance. 

He knew of this, knew that even when acting in their stead, he had to keep his distance. A quick glance wouldn't betray him, even a brush against him never made people realize, since he was capable of mimicking cloth near perfectly.

But like this, everybody would know. He was damaged to the point his entire impersonation was wrong. His surface should have imitated leather, denim or wool. All of it felt like  _skin_ however. Thickened skin, blistered and cracked where his claws had forced their way out of a human shell, but still skin where it should have been something else entirely. His arms and talons should have been barbed flesh and bristling tentacles, not bones and muscles and skin. Even his armor was wrong. Where it had been touch chitin with barely any receptors before, now it was thickened skin covering a bony base that was still hyper aware of every gust of wind, every touch.

He wasn't the virus anymore, he knew. He was something new. Like PARIAH. Like Heller.

He was weak now, far from what had been. Blacklight had been a lot more powerful before, before Penn Station. Five Thousand dead within  _minutes_ , and nobody had ever seen him, could even fight him. After Penn Station, he had become  _aware_ . Had crafted a body for himself. A body meant there was something that could be seen, could be touched, could be fought- but it had been a body made up of the virus. He had been capable of doing things no other being could do, could change whatever he wanted. Couldn't die from lethal injuries. This version of him had been the most dangerous, even if not as lethal as he had been before that.

But right now, all those things had been evolved further, evolved into a real living, breathing,  _mortal_ body.   
He decided he hated it, and he couldn't wait for it to change back- though there was the unpleasant feeling at the bottom of his stomach that told him that evolution was strictly one-way.

Alex scowled and forced those thoughts back into the deepest confines of his mind. Getting scared wouldn't help in any way- they needed to act, and they needed to act  _now_ . “Get your shit together”, he barked at the others, and realized a moment later that he maybe added a little too much of the very late Commander Charles Tunney to it. “The Beast is coming and we need to be ready for this asshole before it actually turns up!”

Dunbar's expression became downright panicked, Dana turned pale, Kuo swallowed hard and Cole flinched back. Heller only had a deep frown on his face, and Alex could tell he had listened in, even if not on purpose. “How can you know?”, he asked instead. Unlike the others, he wasn't scared, more intrigued if anything. But then again, he hadn't seen the thing himself.

Alex bared his teeth. “I just know. I  _know_ what it looked like when the Beast came after Kessler. And I know what it looks like now.” He was fucking ready to fight them to get them to move, though Cole cut in first.

“I don't care who's right here”, he declared with as much authority as he could muster, “Alex got a point- we have to start as fast as possible, before Bertrand manages to get the Cores secure.” His voice told him that he didn't really believe it- or was in denial, more likely.

Cross just finished his call, instructing his team to keep their eyes open for the Blast Cores, and moved back towards them, expression dark. “Well, thanks for yelling at my team”, he growled. “They are already insubordinate enough towards the rest of Blackwatch, now you'll be undermining my authority too.”

Alex's fingers twitched briefly, whether as a sign he was going to snap at him next or try to keep cool, he didn't know. Cross noticed it immediately, however, and his expression changed slightly. “You're certain.” That wasn't a question, so Alex felt no need to acknowledge it. “Ah, great.” The Specialist turned to agent Kuo immediately. “You have worked with Doctor Wolfe, correct? Did he have any other labs, or places where he hid his research?”

“No other labs, but...” She furrowed her brows in concentration. “I know he co-owns several pigeon lofts all over New Marais.”

“Pigeons?” Dunbar asked puzzled. “What do they have to do with anything?”

“It's more of a feeling”, she admitted. “You see, around last year the Militia was starting to get more intrusive, often just gathering near Wolfe's lab. Wolfe suspected they would be after his research and tried finding ways to secure his work in ways nobody would ever guess. And then he started renting space in various pigeon lofts all over the city.”

“Messenger pigeons, maybe?” Heller questioned.

“That's what I suspect”, the agent confirmed. “Because he's done it in the past, using messenger pigeons. Back then it had been so he could smuggle information away from Kessler and to the NSA. It could be he attached small data drives to the birds now too.”

Cole arched one eyebrow. “You know where these lofts are?”

She hummed briefly and went back to their map. “I think near here”, she pointed at the west side of the city, “Was one. There is a clock tower nearby too, that's why I remember it.”

“Good”, the Conduit nodded to himself, and pointed to Heller “Then take the military guy with you”, he grabbed Alex's arm, “And I take this one and head to the other side of the city. We'll cause some trouble, let the people see us, and draw these hicks off your side.”

“What about the Rayacites?” Kuo asked with some real interest. That stopped about all of them dead in their tracks. “Raya- what?” Dunbar blurted, just seconds before Cole could.

“Pieces of soil irradiated through the Ray Field”, the agent explained. “Strange, I thought they had been in Empire too.”

Cole blinked, then groaned. “They've been. But we called them Blast Shards.” His expression turned thoughtful. “Wolfe had some here too?”

“Of course. They were of great interest to him and Kessler, so they collected them whenever they found some.”

Technically, Alex added in his mind, since the Shards reacted to Conduits, it was Wolfe who had to collect them under Kessler's observation. He remembered it were a lot.

Kuo was continuing meanwhile, explaining to Cross and Heller. “Since they have been in Wolfe's lab, the explosion of it will have spread them over the city. If we find some, we need to mark the location so Cole can pick them up later. They're crystal-like, much like the Blast Cores, but actually formed like shards and glow blue.”

“What's so important about these Shards?” The Evolved questioned puzzled.

Alex snorted briefly. “They contain trace amounts of Ray Field Radiation. Which is harmful to any other living being that is not a Conduit. Blacklight dies off upon making contact. Humans get sick”, He nodded towards Cole, “Conduits get marginally stronger. So I guess it would be in everybody's best interest if these things get off the streets, to prevent the people from getting irradiated and increase our fighting power.”

Cross stood straighter, folding his arms behind his back, obviously unfazed by the idea that dangerous irradiated pieces of soil cluttered the area. “Then make it so. Dana-” he turned towards Alex's sister. “Try to figure out what Bertrand is planning next. If he has Wolfe, we need access to him, preferably without his men being able to get to him.”

Dana grinned. “You get it.”

“Dunbar”, The man in question flinched and jumped into what could be loosely described as a very stiff and very awkward saluting position. The Specialist sighed through his nose once. “At ease. You're civilian, not military, so lose that position.” Dunbar relaxed visibly, while Cross continued. “I was told you have contacts all over the place. Get to them. Establish new ones if possible. We need as much intel as possible.”

“Intel about what?”

“Everything. Bertrand. The Militia. What they are doing. What they need Wolfe for. What they know about us. Everything you can dig up about New Marais. And about those Swamp Beasts, because quite honestly, I don't like the sound of this.”

“You get it, Blackwatch.”

“Good”, He glanced at them. “You're dismissed.”

* * *

Heller and Kuo left the rooftop at about the same time as MacGrath and Mercer. Unlike those two, however, the sergeant and the NSA agent headed into the opposite direction and used the fire escape like any sane person. Heller was the first to touch ground, and waited for his partner to hop off the ladder too, before he turned his attention towards the street, letting his ears and nose pick up what his eyes couldn't. He noticed her stare at him, though preferred to not ask her what she wanted to know. If she had questions, she could very well ask them herself.

“Clear”, he commented, and they started heading down the streets. With the civilians around, the two of them barely stood out, so they were largely ignored by the Militia members lurking nearby. Heller watched them from the corner of his eye as he and the NSA agent turned at a corner and walked out of the crowded areas.

“Who's Kessler?” He eventually asked when the silence became a little too oppressing. Kuo arched one eyebrow questioningly, so he quickly clarified to avoid misunderstandings. “You guys used the name like your lives depended on it. Far as I understood, he's the reason MacGrath has these abilities?” Which he hadn't witnessed himself so far, by the way.

“In short, yes”, the woman replied.

“And the long story?” He needed to understand.

She seemed to recognize the idea behind that, and became slightly more open to giving out information. “Kessler had been the leader of a cult, or private army, called the First Sons in Empire. He trained them to become a science-based militia, though they had never openly done anything. Of course, that's what made the NSA suspicious, so they started spying on the Sons.” She exhaled. “Over the time, way before my time, the NSA noticed that Kessler...exhibited powers. He was able to control electricity.”

“Like MacGrath?” Supposedly.

“Exactly like him. But that was before Cole was discovered to be a Conduit, so we thought his powers were unique. And then the Sons started recruiting. Which was weird, because they used to be mentalists in the beginning.” She furrowed her brows. “Not sure how much of that was true, or rumors, but Kessler was actively looking for people that applied to his standards. We eventually realized that he actually was searching for Conduits.”

“So the NSA planted an agent?”

Kuo's voice fell slightly, became slower. “His name was John White. He had the Conduit gene, so he was exactly what Kessler was looking for.”

Heller blinked, stopping briefly. “What is this Conduit gene?” That was the second time he heard of it within a short amount of time.

“There's a special mutation found on the DNA that decides whether a person is a Conduit or not”, the agent confirmed. “It's a recessive trait.” Then she furrowed her brows. “However, the Ray Field actually changes the recessive gene into a dominant one, activating the Conduit and granting them powers.”

“Wait, this shit actually _changes_ the DNA?” After all the talk of evolution, he should have really expected something of the sorts. He didn't, and it surprised him.

“Yes, but it is rather minor, just a swap from recessive to dominant.”

“Still something that shouldn't work.” But then again, Redlight and Blacklight both altered the DNA too, though those were Retroviruses that were made to do that. Heller motioned for his partner to stay silent when another group of militia passed them by, so the two of them quickly left the main street and headed for an alley. “That's not all there is, right?” Highschool biology told him the process of inheriting traits. “Is there a difference depending on whether a person gets the pair or only one of those Conduit genes?”

“There is”, the woman sounded surprised. “It can be roughly said that there are two types of Conduits- prime and lesser.” She nodded over her shoulder, into the direction the others went to. “Cole is a prime Conduit. He has the complete set, both recessive genes. Which means that he gained rather powerful and unique powers upon being activated- and before that he already was tougher than normal humans. Lesser Conduits, which I haven't personally seen, only have one of the pair. They cannot become activated by the Ray Sphere like prime Conduits are- even if their genes turn dominant- but rather need to be near an activated prime Conduit to develop powers that mimic their leader's.” She furrowed her brows. “It's mostly guesswork, actually. We pieced this together from what we learnt from Empire. From the reports we managed to gather from White.”

“It adds up, though”, Heller admitted. “Not that I'm the guy needed for that. Mercer is better at it than I am.”

“Still, alone the fact that you had no idea...”, she eyed him thoughtfully. “Since Empire, since Ms. Mercer went live on television, we had always assumed Mr. Mercer was a Conduit himself, and with you displaying similar powers, I thought you were a lesser one?”

“It looks that way”, Heller admitted after a brief moment, “And if anybody asks, I think that's the best idea to explain it, if untrue. We're not Conduits.”

Her eyes were sharp, calculating. “You called him 'the flu', and referred to yourself as 'Evolved'.”

“That's...that's classified. And not my place to tell you about”, he replied with a grimace. “Point is, however, that he gave me the powers I have, and that because of this, it looks very similar to Conduit business, even though it isn't. He could basically copy what he did to me with every other person, regardless of their DNA.” Heller sighed. “Look, if you want to know, you have to talk to Mercer.”

She actually cringed back. “I rather not. Not about this and anyways, I feel it's too personal. I'm not going to force them. Not when-” She exhaled heavily. “Not when they both are vital for this.”

“Oh?”

“Mercer has information only Kessler had.” She shook her head briefly. “I don't want to know how he knew, but Kessler was possibly the only person asides from Wolfe who would have had an idea how to deal with the Beast. If we don't find Wolfe-”

Heller snorted, interrupting her. “We'll find him. Bertrand can't own so many places near his lab, right? I think it would be too conspicuous if he dragged the man all over the city.”

“The Militia didn't have any problems dragging others off to God knows where.”

“Civilians”, the Evolved pointed out. “But you already claimed that Wolfe's work was too important to Bertrand. As long he still hasn't what he wants, we got time to find him.” He paused and glanced at the streets. “I think he has to be somewhere in this part of New Marais. It would be best to set him up in another lab, and you can't provide the infrastructure needed over in the flooded part, can you?” He cocked his head. It was simple logic.

“So you propose we should check which buildings belong to Bertrand?”

“Or which ones drain most energy.” He furrowed his brows for a moment. “Though I guess that won't be as easy, right?”

Kuo sighed. “You're correct. With the Beast ravaging the East Coast, I'm not even sure whether HQ survived. The lines are down too, so I can't contact them anyways, and additionally, everything I'm doing here is...not exactly by book.”

“Really?” Heller arched one eyebrow. “And what is their definition?”

“Get whatever we discover and bring it back to HQ to have them either showcase that they did it, or for them to hand it over to DARPA to make a weapon from it, using any means necessary.” She summarized with what could have been a scowl. “They told me to schmooze up to Cole to get his secrets, but seriously? That man is still broken up over the loss of his girlfriend and I'm not that kind of woman.” She paused for a moment and added “They're goddamn assholes. Did you know that they haven't assigned me any help for my mission? They told me I'm perfectly suited for this. I'm damn sure I'm not, seeing I'm just out of my rookie years. They're only doing that because I got the Conduit gene too, and the last agent who had is now dead.”

“Hold it there- you're a Conduit?”

“I have the potential to be one”, was her reply. “As long I'm not getting into a Ray Field, I shouldn't get any abilities. With the Sphere gone and us trying to stop the Beast from causing more damage, I doubt I'll ever get some.” She cut herself off, expression turning sour. “Now that I think about it, I guess that actually _was_ the reason I was assigned to Wolfe. It's possibly my superiors wanted me to get activated, so they would have been able to use me as a weapon. Just like DARPA wanted with Cole. But I don't want this.” She shook her head. “I want to help Cole, I want to help him get the RFI activated to end this entire nonsense.”

Heller was silent, eying her curiously. She had been honest, far he could tell. He eventually snorted amused. “A NSA agent, a Blackwatch Colonel, a Marine- and all of them are insubordinate assholes.”

“Insubordinate assholes because our bosses only make things worse”, Kuo pointed out with a grin on her own.

“So, pretty standard, then.” Heller figured he was lucky with his job, though Hetty's constant secrecy was a bit grating, if to be expected from someone who fought in the Cold War. He paused as soon they entered a large open space with a tall clock tower in the middle. “This the place?”

“Yeah”, Kuo glanced around. “Now we just need to find the roof with the pigeon loft.”

“I think the best bet would be the building with the pigeon poop on the roof”, Heller deadpanned, then furrowed his brows. “The one with the bunch of Militia guarding the entrance.”

“What?!” The NSA agent's head snapped into the mentioned direction. “Shit. Think they know about the birds?”

“If it is a matter of public record, most likely.” Heller snorted and rolled his shoulders. “And that just proves that Wolfe actually hid his research here.”

“Damn. How do we get it then?”

The Evolved just grinned. “You're forgetting you're talking to someone who dealt with Manhattan.” He cracked his knuckles, feeling maybe a little sorry for the men. “These guys won't stand a chance.”

* * *

If Cole was bluntly honest, he would have vastly preferred to walk around New Marais on his own, or maybe with Zeke; not with Mercer who kept following him like a bad omen. The people of New Marais seemed to already fear him because of what Bertrand was telling them, and now they actually had a  _good_ reason to believe the Militia leader.

Great.

He sighed, wiping his palm down his face to muffle the groan. He wasn't even sure what he was doing here. Sure, he said he'd do a little distraction, but was it warranted? It would have been a lot more logical to just lie low and wait for the Militia to lose interest, or maybe sneak through the city to avoid detection. But like this? They were going to get  _swarmed_ within moments.

Cole sighed again, rounding a corner- and walking straight into a group of cops.   
Cops who apparently instantly recognized him, but instead of striking up a conversation like Harms' guys had done in Empire, these guys instantly drew their guns and aimed at him, shouting at him. He didn't understand what they were yelling, because they were too fast and he couldn't understand why-

Icy water ran down his back, and without knowing what he did, he spun around and braced himself. The impact was like a truck hit him full face-on (and he should know, he had been run over in the past), but that didn't deter him from wrapping his hands around a pair of wrists to lock them there.

His teeth were bared, eyes narrow, and the rational part of his brain still didn't know what his more instinctive part was even doing there. “Don't you fucking dare”, he hissed.

“Are you nuts?” The other snapped at him, “They are trying to shoot you!”

Cole didn't let up. “So? You tried to kill me too, remember?” Because that was  _Alex_ who tried to dash past him and maul the cops. Now his rational mind finally caught up with him, and he realized that he blocked him, using his body as a shield between a group of policemen who just tried to shoot him, and the murderous weapon of mass destruction that tried to stop them from doing so.

Alex's eyes flitted over his shoulder for a moment, teeth bared in a snarl. “Let me go”, he snapped, trying to rotate his wrists. Cole wrestled down the urge to let go, ignoring the spikes biting into his hands as he clamped down even harder.

“Only if you promise to not hurt them.”

“What?” The look he got was several shades of incredulous. “You don't know whether these guys are on Bertrand's pay list or not. They could be dangerous!”

“And you can't know whether they are”, the Conduit bit back. “Until we know, we have to assume they aren't.” He finally shifted his attention away as he glared at the mentioned officers over his shoulder. “You- get away.” There was another shove now his focus had shifted, and he felt his arms go numb. “I have no idea how long I can actually stop him. Either you back off _now_ or I won't promise anything.”

Much to his surprise, the men actually obeyed him, slowly backing away until they were out of sight. Cole waited another few moments until his radar senses told him they were a sufficient distance away, before he finally let go of the other. His palms were a bloody mess and hurt like mad, but he refused to break eye contact. “You got a lid on it, or do I need to zap you? Don't forget, right now I could probably cause some real damage on your ass.”

Much to his surprise (and worry), Alex was the first one to break the glare and backed off with a strangled huff. “I don't know. I think I'm okay now, but...” He trailed off with a shrug.

Cole's brows furrowed. He'd seen it the day before, when he crushed the Militia hicks without mercy, but he had thought that was because they were shooting at both of them. The cops hadn't, and still Alex had been reacting with the same kind of violence. He inclined his head. “You losing it?”

The Runner exhaled simply, shaking his head. “I think so. Maybe. Or not?” He wiped a talon down his face in a very human gesture of frustration. “Fuck, I don't know. It doesn't  _feel_ like I'm losing control. I just do.”

Cole grimaced, being pretty sure he knew what it was. Alex wasn't used to having a real body, and any emotions he felt now were  _real_ ones, not just imitations made by a virus. Threw him off, most likely. He didn't tell him that, however, just forced a nonchalant shrug. “Eh, remember what Colonel Blackwatch told us. We'll need a distraction to draw the hicks off your military buddy and Kuo. I guess that means you can maul whoever you want, as long you keep away from people who may be our next allies.” From what he noticed, the cops too seemed to suffer from the Militia. Government-made repression.

Alex made a noise which could be an acknowledgment, before he tilted his head slightly. “People are coming”, he simply said and catapulted himself off the ground without waiting for Cole's reaction. The Conduit just sighed in answer and started jogging down the alley to get away from the crowd. While he was certain that they couldn't hurt him even if they tried, he didn't feel like being pelted at with rocks and slurs and having to stop Alex from going ballistic  _again_ . His hands still hurt, even though they already healed back together, serving as a reminder to never  _ever_ underestimate the Runner. Even when weakened and confused. 

_Currently_ , he added inside his head as he followed his example and carefully scaled the closest building to get topside. Much to his surprise, he was waiting there, watching the city with a thoughtful expression.

Cole couldn't help but ask. “Worried?”

“About what?”

“The Beast. Bertrand. The Militia.”

Alex furrowed his brows. “Bertrand and the Militia are a mere annoyance. Me lacking my powers just adds a few complications, but that's what Heller is here for- if someone can locate a missing person without having access to the knowledge of the hostage takers, it's him.”

“But the Beast is different?”

“It is. I already told you, it is different to the one Kessler faced. I doubt what he had in mind for you would actually work here.”

Cole's brows furrowed. He was aware that Kessler had tried to turn him into a copy of himself, since he had apparently been able to take the Beast down in the beginning. Yet despite defeating him, Cole couldn't do the same to the Beast. “What did he have in mind?”

“Absorb the Beast”, Alex said simply.

“Absorb it?!”

“You're forgetting one thing, Cole”, the Runner pointed out, “The Beast is a walking Ray Sphere explosion. It is a sapient mass of radiation.”

The Conduit's jaw dropped briefly. “Radiation”, his brows came down as he crossed his arms and cradled his chin with his hand. “It's just another form of Electromagnetic Wave. Electricity in the furthest sense. You mean-”

“The Beast had only been another energy source to Kessler.” He scoffed. “He could have simply absorbed it- but he didn't. Was too afraid the energy would change him into something inhuman. That was why he hesitated- and the Beast shifted its own radiation so it became inedible in a way. And then it chased him across the entire world until he was forced to come back here.” He looked at Cole now. “The moment it appeared, I noticed that Kessler's Beast was different to _this_ Beast. He figured it would be the one he faced.”

“That's why I couldn't defeat it.” Cole swore under his breath. “Goddamnit. We really need Wolfe.” Then a thought came to him. “What about Kessler? He had been Wolfe's friend, so he should know something.”

Alex grimaced. “He  _should_ ”, he agreed, “But somehow, he does  _not_ .” He shook his head with a pained expression, eyes squeezed shut for a moment. “I don't know how I can explain it, but there are...holes in his memories. Entire parts, just  _gone_ .”

Cole blinked. “Well, you said he was well over one hundred, so Alzheimer's to be expected?”

“It's not Alzheimer's. He was physically healthy, if old.” Alex scowled. “This looks like _intentional_ damage. But not through blunt force trauma, because only bits are missing.” His scowl deepened, though there were parts curiosity and awe in it. “I think he did it himself.”

“How? Memories-”

“Are just neural pathways in your brain. They are already altered every time you remember them, Kessler figured out how to change them voluntarily.” He cocked his head. “Because memories come from experiences and thoughts. But what are those anyway?”

The gears started moving. “Electrical currents”, Cole realized. “You're saying Kessler-”

“Used his powers on himself to selectively _delete_ parts of his own memories”, Alex finished. “ _What_ for, I can't say. He took those memories too. Though I guess that maybe he either wanted to delete Wolfe or he wanted to protect him from me.” That made sense, actually, because if Alex had known, he would have chased after the doctor next, would have eaten him too. Cole blinked. “Wait, was he _aware_ that you would eat him?”

“He was. He knew this was his only chance. He was ready to sacrifice _everything_ , including his own life.”

The Conduit groaned. “And we fucked it up big time.” Because they hadn't stopped the Beast, and they had lost some of their fighting powers.

“Yes. We only have one more chance. We can't screw this one up.”

“Wow. You're a ray of sunshine, aren't you?” Cole huffed out, knowing already fully well that they wouldn't get another shot at this. It was do or die, with no try. “Where to next then?”

Alex shrugged stiffly. “Opposite side of the city. Find some Militia to hurt. Let them call for backup. Bertrand won't have infinite men anyways.” He paused for a brief moment, then eyed him. “Best case scenario, we'll take out all of his guys and won't have any problems afterwards.”

“You say 'best', all I hear is 'Last Resort'”, Cole deadpanned. “Dude, even if these hicks are trouble, murdering all of them is strictly Naughty List Material. We want to change something, we need to make the people see what idiots are in control. We need to show them they are being lied to.” Simply taking out the idiots would just paint the two of them as troublemakers at best and monsters at worst. Though, to be honest, he figured Alex didn't give a shit either way. With a sigh, he simply waved his hand. “C'mon. We gotta make a scene.” 

Then he started running along the roof, heading further West. A few roofs over, voices drew his attention and he stopped briefly, glancing downwards. Another pair of Militia were harassing a guy on the street. Cole jumped down immediately, figuring that now would be as good as any to mix things up a little. Neither of the hicks even managed to retaliate as he simply knocked them out. The man they harassed however fled the scene as soon Cole's attention was off him for a brief moment. The Conduit huffed out and called after him “You're welcome, by the way!”, then grumbling under his breath climbed back topside. Alex was there waiting for him. Cole rolled his eyes. “I told you we'd need all the support we can get. And if I help people, they'll start accepting me.”

“I helped Blackwatch and the Marines and they still shot me at any chance they got”, Alex countered, “Even when I actually protected them from getting their faces eaten off.”

“That's because you're an asshole”, the conduit shrugged.

“Really?” The Runner replied easily. “Then I guess I'm not going to tell you where there are Blast Shards around here.”

“Asshole.”

“You already said that.”

Cole shook his head and sent out a radar pulse instead, mapping the closer area. He found a few high energy sources and quickly headed towards the closest one, really finding a Blast Shard. As soon as he touched it, his body drained the energy out of it and the shard crumbled away. “C'mon, we'll look for some more.” He paused briefly, then added, “And for some hicks to beat up. We still need to make a scene. You get the hicks if you want, but please remember that there are civilians around and they don't need to deal with people soup.”

Alex scoffed, but bowed his head slightly. “Only scared and unconscious. I know.”

Cole grinned at him, then folded his arms. “Look, New Marais- it's a fresh start. For _all_ of us.” Empire had been a good beginning, even for Mercer. He had helped the people there, and the people had _known_. With Kaufman's report they've conveyed a message. They've shown that they weren't monsters, that they were almost heroes who fought for the people. Who tried to make things right. “Bertrand's lies are blinding the civilians, but with just some hard work, you can turn everything around.” He cocked his head. “ 'Your chances are better than mine. I was hated by everybody and I didn't give a fuck- you are starting to get the support of this entire city. That is a big difference. Even if DARPA was trying to get your head, if nearly ten million people are behind you, they can't harm you. Nobody will. The masses are stronger than the government if they wish so.' Remember?”

Alex blinked, then shook his head with a snort. “I told you that, back in Empire.”

“Yeah. You told me that having more support from the people would be useful. It's the same here- the more eyes we have on our side, the easier we can find the Cores and Shards, _and_ get the Militia off our backs. But for this to work I have to ask you to refrain from using too much violence- at least against the Militia. Hicks or not, they are still _human_ , and other humans don't like seeing their own kind being chewed up. Less so by guys who look like a living nightmare.”

Alex's face twitched slightly at  _that_ reminder, though Cole didn't relent in any way. “We show them that normal humans have nothing to fear from you, and they will accept you.”

The other glanced at him for a long moment, before turning away with a huff. “How can you still be that  _naive_ ? People don't just roll over and act nice to you just because you drew their asses out of the fire.”

Okay, so there was still work left to do. But then again, if Cole woke up with no memories at all and suddenly found himself being shot at by helicopters, he would be distrustful too. Still, he shrugged. “Hey, I'm trying to stay positive despite everything. 'Cause someone has to.” And obviously, happy powers were not in Alex's arsenal. Dana did a better job at it than him, and she loaded a lot of sarcasm and cynicism into it already. Maybe happy powers weren't compatible with the Mercer family.

Cole blinked at the sun, wondering briefly what to do next. Throw a dart at a city map? Get a city map to throw a dart at first? Just keep going until they stumbled upon something to do? Then he remembered that he neither had a city map nor money (or desire) to buy one, so all he could do was the third option. Which worked out fine too, since his speed was harshly restricted unless he started to grind along the countless wires between the buildings, up some rain pipes or hovered across gaps. All those produced a very distinct electrical blue lighting, so of course he drew attention from all sides, which perfectly aligned with his original plan.

He just hoped it would be enough to get the hicks off Kuo's back.  
Just as he hovered across another alleyway, the sudden singular wail of police sirens startled him into dropping out of mid-air to scramble and cling to the roof edge, though at the same time he became aware just how good simply using his powers to travel across New Marais was suited to gain the necessary attention.

“Hey! Electric Man!”

Cole winced at the nickname he'd been stuck with since Empire, and briefly considered just ignoring it- but curiosity won over caution. He shifted the hold he had on the ledge so he could support his weight with just one hand and glance down. A cop stood next to his car's open door, looking up at him, while his partner remained in his seat, grimacing as if in pain.

He was still puzzled and wordlessly pointed at himself. The cop next to the door nodded, then added “Are there any other Electric Men up there?”

Not that he knew of, but the Conduit still furrowed his brows, then let go of the ledge to drop the three stories to the ground. Unlike their buddies before, these guys seemingly didn't seem to be trigger happy, so he chose to give them the benefit of doubt here. Also, he hoped that his open body language made his tense friend up there relax a little. He knew he was watching, but holding back for now.

He crossed his arms and cocked his head. “What do you want?”

The cop frowned at him. “You know one Zeke Dunbar?”

“He's my friend. What, he giving out names already?”

The cop grimaced. “The name's Robertson. I've been one of Zeke's contacts back when you've been the first time in New Marais.”

Cole blinked, then memory set in. “I think I remember you”, he stated slowly, “Uh, you threatened to cuff my ass after I trespassed.” He'd been friendly enough to leave him off with a warning, though.

“Zeke mentioned you'd be ready to help us here against the Militia.” So that was this about. Cole could have groaned in annoyance. Really, Zeke? 

Still, he was asked to make a scene and this was a good opportunity to draw attention and make some friends. “So, what happened?”

Robertson seemed to relax slightly. “Bunch of Militia caged in a group of squatters over at the old plantation. To them they're 'Deviants'. Nothing we can do about that- but they're using illegal weaponry to try and drive them out.”

“Shit”, Cole swore. “How long ago?”

“I just got the call”, the cop said, “And then I saw you, instantly thought about what Zeke said.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You're civilian, and I honestly shouldn't draw you into out problems, but our hands are tied, so can you help?”

Cole didn't even need to think. Any kick into Bertrand's face was worth it. “Where?” It had been some time, but he could still remember the city well.

“Just south of St. Ignatius”, Robertson told him. “It should be our job to stop this, but our bosses suck up to Bertrand, and if we do anything against the Militia, we'll get bumped down to traffic duty or worse.” So Cole was going to be the one to do their jobs for them when they were forced by their own bosses to not do it properly. They needed the allies, and they needed their support.

“We'll be there”, the Conduit repeated. He saw the question on Robertson's face about the plural he used as he canted his head backwards slightly and picked up his voice. “You heard all of it, yes?”

Alex's reply came slower, and there was a distinct tone of annoyance in it, even as he appeared at the edge of the roof, using the sun's glare to hide his form in. “I did.”

“Good, then let's beat up some hicks.” Alex was gone by the time he made it to the top of the building, but that didn't worry him. He would hold his promise and _not_ kill these guys.

Hopefully.

But maybe he shouldn't waste too much time there. Cole's pulse jumped up as he forced his body to race along the rooftops and grind over the various wires between the buildings. If he timed it right, he could use the momentum of his own motion to fling himself across the roofs without having to slow down. He passed St. Ignatius soon enough, and stopped just on the last building before the bog began. He squinted at the large derelict manor nestled between trees just across the street. Last century, a rich land owner probably lived there, now it was abandoned. But not empty, Cole could see graffiti of all kinds decorating its walls, could see old lawn chairs sitting on the porch. He figured homeless from all over the place tended to gather there, and the city obviously never argued against it.

Until the Militia decided that these people were unfit for New Marais. Cole would always argue against it, seeing as he and Zeke had been two of them in the past, and squatters simply were a part of the culture of South Louisiana.

The guys dressed in silly orange and white uniforms definitely were  _not_ part of this culture. He could argue that this was basically the wet dream of every inbred white American, but that didn't make it  _okay_ . They were hurting innocent people. 

Lightning snapped out of his wrists and climbed along his arms, and without thinking, he lifted one hand and fired at the guy closest to him. The man jerked back in horror, and spun around. He stared at the Conduit for a good few moments, before he realized just  _what_ he saw there- and once he did, he shouted for reinforcements.

Only, reinforcements couldn't help, as the very next moment a black blur crashed into the guy and three newcomers, sending all of them flailing through the air. Cole instantly moved too, rushing off his position and lunging across the damaged fence with lightning crackling around him. The moment he hit one of the still standing guys, he released his powers, sending several hundreds of volts through the guy. Not long enough to kill, but long enough to scramble his neural signals and shut him down for the count. Alex was further down the complex, grabbing another guy and just casually throwing him several yards through the air so gravity and momentum knocked him out.

Then his back crawled with fear and his head snapped up, recognizing several civilians forced to perch at the roof edge by a pair of hicks. “Yo, Freaks!” One of them jeered. Cole growled in his throat, jabbing a finger at Alex. “Too many hostages. You take them, I get the idiots.”

The Runner didn't bother to reply, just catapulted himself off the floor and right on the roof between the hostages and the Militia, snarling loudly.

Cole latched onto the weathered wooden shingles and forced himself upwards at the same moment, reaching the roof just seconds after his friend did. By then, Alex was using his body and armored talons to protect the hostages from the Militia's gunfire. Cole intercepted them, firing bolts of lightning at their feet to make them lose balance. As soon the shooting stopped, the Runner surged forwards, using his considerable mass and strength to tackle the guys through the air and off the roof. He didn't let them hit the ground, however, jumping after them and seizing them again with a considerable grip to smack them roughly into the floor. These guys were down for the count, and would probably spend the next week in casts.

Cole found himself strangely touched that Alex really took his words to heart, and he still found a way to take them out for longer than a few hours. Maybe he should target these guy's kneecaps and elbows with the Amp then.

While the Runner was diving at some more hicks on the ground, Cole turned his attention towards the terrified hostages. “You okay?”

They stared at him, then each other, before the oldest boy of them nodded stiffly. “Good. You manage to get down here on your own?” The Conduit pried.

Another nod. “Okay. So get down as quickly as you can. Keep your heads down until the shooting stopped, okay?” He paused briefly. “Uh, if you have problems, just yell, I'll see what we can do for you.”

“W-will do”, the oldest boy managed to press out.

Cole beamed at him and hopped off the roof to where his friend was just brutally knocking another guy out cold. His teeth were bared in frustration, but so far, he seemed to keep himself under control well enough. “Shootout”, he just snarled, roughly jerking his chin over his shoulder. Cole had to ignore the thudding of his own heart from the adrenaline rushing through him to hear it. He also heard the groaning of the wounded from the previous shooting, so he had to make a decision. “You get there, knock them out. Leave some with enough consciousness so they can be questioned later.” He rushed off towards the injured civilians without waiting for a reply. The tell-tale crack of ground and the whistling of air told him what he needed.

He slid to his knees next to a woman, who was bleeding from a hole in her stomach. Lightning sparked between his fingers. “You'll be fine”, he muttered, pressing his palms against the wound to shorten her own regeneration process to mere moments. The bleeding stopped and the wound healed up, and before she could even process what had happened, Cole already moved towards the next one and fixed the injury on his arm. By the time he started fixing the fifth and last victim, the adrenaline that had surged through his body had finally receded, leaving him sweaty and twitchy.

His legs were shaking slightly, and the realization set in that these people could have gotten killed by these hicks. This made him angry enough that he punched the soft grass with full force, lightning snapping out of his skin. “Goddamn rednecks”, he growled as he forced himself to stand and march over to where blue and red lights were flashing. Halfway there, a group of medics rushed past him, paying only a little attention to him. That was fine, because his current focus of irritation were the half dozen guys in varying states of consciousness and bruisedness sitting cuffed in front of a police cruiser. The Conduit drew up to them with a low growl, crossing his arms. “And what exactly where you thinking, huh? Attacking civilians like that and taking them hostage?!”

The guys glared at him defiantly, though a familiar form stepped between them and him. “I wouldn't have thought that you would act that fast”, Robertson admitted. “And uh, your... _friend_ , was pretty thorough with his dealing with them, so I guess they're not too willing to spill the beans.” The cop threw a glance over his back, where the sheer lack of people indicated Mercer's presence. Cole followed his glance, noticing the Runner currently rooting through a pile of trash on the small pier there, and frankly, it confused him. Right up until Alex jerked back with a victorious expression, holding something squirming in his talons.

“No!” Cole barked immediately, drawing his attention so he froze for several long moments while the possum in his hand continued to squirm and squeal. “No”, the Conduit said more firmly, snatching the animal from his friend's hand and setting it down to let it scurry off. Alex watched it flee with a downcast expression, then glared almost hatefully at the granola bar he got offered in exchange. He still took it, though, with grudging thanks. Cole snorted amused and went on to fix him too, closing up the sluggishly bleeding bullet wounds he sustained during the duration of the conflict.

“Hey, uh, Electric Man?” Cole suppressed the shiver running down his back, though couldn't quite stop the grimace that also crept on his face when he turned to face Robertson.

“Just MacGrath. Or Cole, please”, he told him. “ 'Electric Man' isn't really a good name, you know?” Plus, there were too many negative memories attached to that name. Alden had called him that, and Alden had always been the most sore of Cole's points.

The cop's eyebrows just arched in understanding. “If you want it that way, okay.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Just that you know, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but you helped a whole lot people today. This here could have been a lot worse, and you didn't have the obligation to help anyways. You could have just walked past, but you didn't. And I-”, he swallowed briefly, “Honestly, I've never experienced anything like it. Part of me is convinced you're planning something.”

Cole shrugged. He had gotten comments like that back in Empire, even from Harms. “Right now the only thing I'm planning is being as much of an asshole towards the Militia as I can. Bertrand is hiding stuff I need.” He said simply. And take down the Beast, but Robertson was already overwhelmed by these hicks, no need to add a literal walking nuclear explosion to it too.

“He's not the only one”, the policeman mentioned, eying Alex. “I almost shot him when he first appeared. Where did you dig that one up?”

“Empire”, Cole said simply, cutting off his friend's angry retort. “He's a Conduit, like me.” That was the story they made up. Conduit, activated three years before Cole was, during the Outbreak of Manhattan.

“I figured”, Robertson replied. “At least when he started talking to us. We thought he was one of the Swamp Beasts first.”

Alex's attention snapped to him, head cocked to the side quizzically. “What  _are_ those, anyways? The trawler captain told us the same yesterday.”

“We figured it was just superstition”, Cole added. “Because, you know...” The trawler captain had looked like he'd been spending a little too much time at the bottom of a rum barrel. 

Robertson shook his head. “No, he's been honest about that. I haven't seen them myself, but I got several trustworthy people assuring me that they are real. And I've seen the destruction some of them had wrought. Something is in those bogs out there.”

“The swamp witch?”

“Maybe”, the cop shrugged. “Haven't seen her either, but apparently she's been around for the same amount of time that people started vanishing. Squatters mostly, so those could have simply left too.”

Unlikely, but Cole wasn't going to tell him that. He just sighed and ran a hand across his scalp. “I guess that's it then”, he grabbed Alex's arm to steer him away from the trash pile that had caught his attention again. “We'll definitely see each other again, officer. Please spread the word that your guys won't shoot us in the ass next time they see us.”

“Will do. And thank you again.”

The Conduit turned and headed back into the city, climbing the next building to get off the streets. When he reached the top, the Runner was there already.

“Hey man, don't look at me like that. I won't let you eat life possums. Not without some sauce, at least.”

“Opossum. Possums are strictly Australian fauna”, he deadpanned.

“Whatever. Look, if you're hungry, just let me know. We'll find you something to chew on that doesn't contain bones or hair, deal?”

Alex just grumbled under his breath, clearly not happy with the whole deal. Cole awkwardly patted his shoulder. “C'mon. We probably still got a lot of time on our hands until Dana or Zeke figured something out. Let's hit the town. We still got to cause some trouble. And make a few new friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Added a bit of science to this to make this entire Conduit business a little more believable. I don't know about you, but I have problems believing things that aren't explained (one of the reasons I actually like Star Trek/Gate way more than Star Wars), so I figured something out to explain Conduit Physics. You're welcome.  
> Cross is also the only competent here. Everybody else is having problems. I'm counting the time down to finally introduce Nix.
> 
> As a side note, my family and I are currently in the process of moving, from 160 qm to 83, so we got to sight a lot of our stuff and give it to someone else or throw it away- especially the basement is going to be fun. Internet might be down from time to time (certainly this Wednesday it was), so it might be entirely possible I can't upload on time. Starting from April 1st, we should be finished. Just that you know.


	10. Bertrand takes the stage

Kuo had been surprised, to say the least. Sergeant Heller had always looked to her as the more direct approach kind of man. She figured his claws weren't just for show, and from what she had learnt while on board of Quinn's ship, she was aware how tough and strong these 'Manhattan Conduits' were. So she had guessed Heller would have just charged in and take out the Militia the old-fashioned way.

What he did instead impressed her way more. Because he circled behind the building, singled out the closest man- and just dragged him out of sight. The chokehold rendered him unconscious quickly, and the agent quickly hid the limp form away behind a dumpster. Within fifteen minutes at most, he had easily taken out all of these guys with none of them any wiser, allowing them to reach the pigeon loft relatively unmolested. As small bonus, Kuo had discovered a map on one of these guys with more suspected lofts marked. She stepped over a guy sprawled in the stairwell, eying the general lack of carnage. “I'm surprised, Mr. Heller. I didn't imagine you'd be exercising restraint like that.”

“Yeah, well”, the man huffed out and nudged an unconscious body with the tip of his boot. “These guys don't deserve getting killed for being assholes”, he simply pointed out. “Besides, leaving them _alive_ is a much larger insult to their pride, especially when they are rendered useless and in pain for the next couple of weeks. Plus Bertrand's going to blow a gasket that his guys didn't manage to stop us and instead got hospitalized.”

“I see”, Kuo nodded slowly. It made sense, dead people were _dead_ , but injured people still demanded money, supplies and care. Leaving the grunts alive could ruin their leader much faster than killing them. She vastly preferred it this way anyways- she had seen too much violence already and was more than glad for a change of pace.

Wolfe' pigeon, in comparison, was easy to approach. The red glow of the thumb drive attached to it by a harness was clearly visible even in the gloom and made it distinguish from the other birds that nested here. It didn't protest when Sergeant Heller picked it up and removed the drive, then, after a moment's consideration, removed the harness too. Kuo just arched her eyebrows in question, and he shrugged. “These things aren't meant to be worn permanently”, he told her, “And my daughter wouldn't forgive me if the birds ended up tangling themselves with them. She loves birds.”

A daughter, huh? Kuo realized that there wasn't much she knew about this man, neither did she know anything about this Blackwatch Colonel. She knew of Blackwatch, most of the NSA did, but members had mostly erased records and neither was it possible to find out what they were even doing. She knew the military branch dealt in biological warfare defenses, but she could add one and one together. Heller called Mercer 'the flu'. He grudgingly admitted to not be a Conduit, so Mercer wasn't one either. Dana had told Kaufman about the viral research program of the government that eventually destroyed Manhattan- exactly at the same time as Mercer gained his powers. So this was...a viral mutation?

Was this even  _possible_ ?

She shook her head and turned her attention towards the data they gathered from the drive. Her brows furrowed. A few audio files and...data fragments. “Great.” Agent Kuo went for her phone, tapping in Cole's number.

The Conduit quickly answered.  _“Kuo? Got a problem?”_

“Not really”, she replied. “Agent Heller had been very thorough in removing any obstacles, and these men will now spend the next time in casts.”

“ _Thought the same about my guys, too”_ , he replied. _“We batted them around a little, but they'll live.”_

“Any troubles on your side?”

“ _Nope, asides from-- Alex, no. Put that rat down!”_

Kuo blinked, then eyed Heller, who just cocked his head quizzically, until Cole turned his attention back to them.  _“Sorry. Gotta stop him from eating all sorts of small animals. I swear I'm gonna put him on a leash soon enough. Anyways, we helped a bunch of cops and now I got people from all over the place asking me to help them. Uh...so my cover is kind of blown.”_

The NSA agent sighed. “We were already expecting this. Proceed then, because if you stop it will draw even more attention.”

“ _Yeah, so Wolfe?”_

“Still looking. We found the first data drive, and had to realize he split up the files on the RFI. Possibly to keep them safe. I bet we'll need to find more of these birds.”

“ _Yeah, we'll look for them then too.”_

“Pigeons with red blinking lights attached to them”, Heller threw in. “Don't kill them, or Maya will have your head, Mercer.”

“ _I think I can manage”_ , the other man rumbled from the other end.

“ _Also, good news there”_ , Cole added, _“We figured that if I beat up people, I can unlock different applications to my powers.”_

“Then keep doing that”, Kuo told him. “And keep looking for pigeons and Shards and people willing to help us. We'll do the same on our side.”

“ _Yup. I'm gonna call Zeke too. Maybe he got an idea.”_

“Keep us in the loop, okay?”

“ _Will do”_ The call was ended. Kuo arched her eyebrows, then turned to her companion. “Are you familiar with interrogation?”

Heller shrugged. “Yeah. I can make people sing no problem.”

“Good”, she gestured to one of the Militia strewn about. “I think we should start. We need more information on Bertrand.”

* * *

The sun was steadily climbing into the sky, and Dana swore as she retreated under the parasol they put up on the couch. She hated the sun. It usually ate her alive, made her break out in freckles and sunburn.  
And it outshone the text on her laptop, so there was a reason she preferred dark environments to work in. Sadly, dark basements weren't available to her, so all she could do was hide under a cheesy sun parasol and work with what she had.

Zeke had left the roof soon after Alex and Cole and Heller and Kuo did, he said something about re-establishing contact with his guys. Cross had stayed, had started calling various people she was pretty sure were all Blackwatch. Well, except for that one call to somebody who kept referring to him as 'Bobby', as he kept correcting them. Dana arched her eyebrows when the Blackwatch Specialist put down the receiver, dragging his palm down his face with a muffled grunt and looking almost a few years older.

“Ex?”, she asked.

He glanced at her. “Brother. David insists on that nickname.” He was silent for a moment, attention going to the phone. “I told him to grab his family and get the fuck out of Detroit, and drag Natalie along, though I guess she would be long gone before he even gets up and out of there.”

Dana frowned. “What? You don't expect we'll manage to stop this thing?”

“Always assume the worst”, he replied. “Plus, I'm not even sure this thing _can_ be taken down. Since it ceased to disappear, my superiors had started throwing everything bar a nuke at it. So far, nothing is working, and we already lost a squad to this thing. Apparently, the upper echelons are discussing going nuclear.”

“Already?” Zeke squeaked, staring at them from his position next to the roof exit. The snack bags he held in his arms dropped to the ground.

“I doubt they're going to do it”, Cross scoffed. “After General Randall tried to nuke Manhattan back in '08, the echelons are looking very closely at the usage of these things. If they decide to go nuclear, it won't be before the entire East Coast is rubble. And right now it appears as if the Beast stopped eradicating towns out of its way.” He sighed. “Mercer's been right, it looks like this thing is coming here.”

Dana just let out a groan in dull resignation. Of  _course_ it was, Alex had been so sure of it and he hadn't been wrong about things like that before. Zeke's reaction was less restrained, eyes bulging and jaw slack, and she swore she could see his knees shaking. “Shit, man”, he gasped, “We gotta find Wolfe, and pronto!”

Cross's eyebrows furrowed. “Yeah, about that”, he folded his arms over his chest. “You're putting a lot on this one card. Are you certain MacGrath will be able to stop this thing?”

“Yes”, Dana said, at the same time as Zeke seemed to find his courage again. “Of course we are.”

“Why?” A fair question, and expected from the Specialist.

Dana eyed Zeke for a moment, then huffed out. “Because a version of him could have done that.”

Cross blinked, and she realized that this must have been the first time she'd seen  _that_ expression on him. “Part of his skill set includes  _time travel_ , Cross.” She fanned her hands out to stop him from saying anything before she finished explaining. “You see, the leader of the First Sons, Kessler, the one who worked with Wolfe and gave him the chance to create the RFI- he was basically Cole from an alternative future. He could have taken down the Beast in the beginning, and when he came here, he already carried the ideas for a working weapon. This weapon is the RFI, and all of us are near one hundred percent certain that this thing can take down the Beast.”

“And we gotta find Wolfe”, Zeke added. “'Cuz he's the only one who can tell us how to use the RFI.”

Despite the revelation of God-to-honest  _time travel_ , Cross remained surprisingly calm. “Then we'll need Bertrand to tell us where the doctor is.”

“Problem there”, Dana sighed, “Guy keeps hidden away most of the time.” She made little air quotes. “He's 'elusive', so he won't even talk to his Militia face-to-face. Finding him might prove a little complicated.”

The Specialist furrowed his brows. “You've been digging into his private servers?”

“Tried to”, was her frustrated answer. “But he either doesn't have private servers, or he doesn't believe in connecting to the internet. There is nothing.”

“How about public schedules, then? Important figure like him has to make time to show he's doing the best for the city.”

Then Zeke's voice pitched. “Check for anything that has to do with St. Ignatius”, he told her. “I thought I've seen something over there.”

_That_ was pretty easy to be handled. The second article she stumbled over (after the first being a Wikipedia entry about the church in the middle of New Marais), was a newspaper article from the beginning of the week.

“Fuck yes”, she breathed the next moment. “Zeke, you are a genius.”

“I am aware”, he grinned, then became all business like the next moment. “What did ya find?”

“He's going to be at St. Ignatius tonight”, Dana pointed out, waving towards the article she found. “Making a speech about something, no idea what. But the point is- he's going to be up there. In reach.”

“So we're going to do a little snatch 'n run”, Cross finished with a smirk. “I like that idea.” He furrowed his brows slightly. “However, I do see a bit of a problem here.”

“Neither Cole nor Alex can actually _do_ the snatch bit”, Dana stated. “They are currently trying to help the people, and the people have no idea Bertrand is an asshole. If we take him out of the calculation, emotions will boil up, and make us targets. Making it unnecessarily hard to get the Cores and Shards.”

“Well reasoned.” The Specialist shrugged. “However, we can either follow after Bertrand and find out where he lives for grabbing him later, or we snatch him when he's away from the crowd. Either would work and draw the least amount of attention.” He huffed out, muttering under his breath, and Dana was pretty sure she caught “In the old days of Blackwatch we would just have send in a squad and drag him out.” She decided not to comment on it, though.

“I'm gonna call Cole”, Zeke decided, “Tell him of the news.”

“And I'll get Jane Bond and James”, Dana added, then eyed Cross. “We going to be there, just to check things out?”

“I don't see why not”, the Specialist shrugged. “Might give us some ideas later on.”

* * *

Alex wasn't so sure whether he really  _should_ go with Cole to this speech Dana had discovered. On the logical level, it would be better- Bertrand was going to be there and if somebody was to grab him, it should be him. Being faster and stronger than the others and all.

But on the emotional level- Alex didn't want to be inside a crowd. Or anywhere  _near_ it. Because parts of him actually  _wanted_ to- and that set off way too many warning flags in his head. He knew perfectly well what it was.

He was hungry.

Not for Biomass, not for the yearn to spread and promote himself like he'd done in the past, but in the more literal sense in the word. The snack bars Cole had forced on him had helped somewhat, but didn't feel  _right_ and were roiling in his stomach. The jerky Dana had given him had been better, and the smoked sprats Cole found in a small store and bought with money he lifted off the Militia had been best so far. But still missing something.

And from the way his attention shifted each time he noticed the scent of a small animal, he could guess he just didn't want dead food. So far, Cole had to stop him from trying to chow down on the opossum, various rats, a stray cat and once had to wrestle one of Wolfe's messenger pigeons from his grasp even as he'd been in the process to bite its head off. Alex had to admit that he was feeling kind of embarrassed about it, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

He wasn't even sure whether he  _wanted_ to.

Cole, on the other hand, was a lot less restrained about the entire situation. Since Dunbar called him, told him of what Dana and Cross had planned, he'd been brimming with energy. Most of the day passed by quick enough after their call- Alex stewing in frustration and dull resignation with the realization that today shit was going to hit the fan big time, and Cole with the ever-growing desire to get his hands on Bertrand.

Until dusk they distracted themselves by (re)acquainting themselves with the city, stopping a few muggings and hostage takings, looking for a few Blast Shards and pigeons, and relieving the Militia members they knocked out from their money just because they could.

When it started darkening, they eventually wandered back towards the west side of New Marais, to where St. Ignatius was. From afar, Alex could already smell the crowd that had gathered, could smell the Militia hicks, could smell the weapons, and his steps faltered. Cole noticed, and stopped too.

Instead of asking, he just threw a glance over his shoulder, brow furrowing. Alex felt the distinct bristle of his skin as the conduit sent out a radar wave, moments before the other huffed out. “Too many people for your taste?”

“You know it.”

The Conduit hummed in thought. “You can stay here then”, he suggested. “If it's too much for you.”

Was it that obvious? He grit his teeth, but nodded nevertheless. “Thanks.” Then he shook his head. “But I should be down there. Cross and Heller will be there too, and it'll be easier to coordinate this if we get the orders directly, and not second-hand.” Besides,  _Bertrand_ was his target. He had to be captured. He could work with that.

_Had_ to.

“Nice” Alex cocked his head, while Cole swore slightly under his breath. He guessed Heller had snuck up on them from the direction of a radio antenna simply for the purpose of masking his electrical signature. The Evolved stood across from them, hands on his hips. “Cross and Dana both asked you to be present down there”, he pointed out with a rough jerk of his chin into the direction of the crowd. “It'll be too obvious if we try to hang back.”

The Conduit grimaced. “Yeah, but what about-” He trailed off.

Alex rolled his eyes, while Heller scoffed. “No problem there.” He stepped closer and just fanned his arms open, and the motion startled Alex for a moment so it took him a while to realize that the other had just draped a simple coat over his shoulder. A few sizes too large, but if he would pop up the collar, leave the sleeves dangling and roll his shoulders to the front, his arms and armor were mostly hidden from view. It would definitely be enough to shield his appearance from the crowd.

He blinked, feeling oddly touched by the gesture. “...Thanks.”

“You're welcome. Now come, Bertrand's going to take the stage soon.” Heller led them towards the side of the roof, glanced down briefly, before jumping off to land in the alleyway below. Alex followed after him, then Cole. Then they left the alley and headed to the large open place in front of the church, where the crowd of civilians was already gathering. The Conduit jogged a bit to move next to Heller, voice pitched a bit lower so he wouldn't be overheard.

“You mind answering a few personal questions for now? Crap is on the way to the fan and I'd like to know as much as possible before it hits."

“Oh?” The Evolved seemed a bit amused. “Let's hear it then.”

“Well, the most obvious- if I have to rely on you having my back, then I'd like to know what you can do. Asides from the claws.”

Heller cocked his head as they made their way through the edges of the crowd. “I'm tougher than most humans. Probably tougher than you”, he simply pointed out. “And I got limited shape shifting. Only my arms, but if I really want, I can do the rest of my body too.” He shrugged. “Super strength, increased agility and speed are part of the package too.”

“And you got it from getting infected by him?”

Heller glanced at him, then briefly eyed Alex, who simply corrected him. “He didn't get infected  _by_ me, he got infected  _with_ me.”

“Big difference if the virus is fully sapient and capable of controlling the extent of its abilities, like adding only the parts that code for increased strength and leaves out those parts that would have turned me into slush”, Heller added. “However, even then it was more of a spray-and-pray situation, I was told.”

“I had a little knowledge of D-Codes, Supersoldiers, from my first tango with them”, Alex continued, feeling already a little better now that he didn't have to pay attention to the crowd. “So I tried to copy the changes done to them to Heller.”

Cole blinked. “So this wasn't genetic manipulation? Just see-if-it-works?”

He scoffed. “Sure. On the fly. Without a lab, or even knowing what the DNA codes for.” The Runner grimaced briefly. “Media always tells you it is easy, just cut out parts you don't like and put in parts you want. Truth is- it is incredibly complicated and hard to  _not_ screw it up.”

“Genetic manipulation is a bit above us. It's basically playing roulette- but there are things that can't be changed easily. It's a network that might unravel entirely if something goes wrong”, Heller added. “And Blacklight usually is a lot less subtle, like taking a sledgehammer to repair a computer. What it does is scanning its host's DNA, then delete it and add its own code to the cells.”

Alex continued. “When I consume, I grab things off my victim's DNA that do not exist on my code until that point. I can't tell what kind of influence it would have on me beforehand either. My claws are radically different to the claws of a Hunter, too, so even when I take something, it won't ever be exactly the same, probably one of the reasons the Conduit gene doesn't work for me.” He scoffed. “I bet Mercer himself had no real idea what he was doing back when he designed me.”

Cole was eying the two infected thoughtfully. “But would you be able to add Conduit genes to normal people?”

Heller stopped, furrowing his brows. “Why are you asking?”

“Just a thought”, he grimaced briefly. “Because apparently Conduits survive the Beast blowing up their cities, but normal humans don't. It would save a lot of people.”

Alex glanced at Heller, then back to Cole. “Technically, it would be possible. Blacklight's a retrovirus. Retroviruses work by slipping their own RNA into a host cell to change its genetic code. It  _would_ be possible to copy a person's genetic code, add a Conduit gene, and put it back.” He grinned briefly. “Not that it is any special gene either. It's just another random glitch on the DNA strand that made its organism only a little tougher. You have experience it already. Pure luck the Ray Sphere affects that particular glitch to give people comic book superpowers. It could have worked for, say, the Y chromosome too, or blonde hair.” Then his grin disappeared and his glare hardened. “But I'm not going to alter somebody's genetic code on a  _whim_ . And who knows whether adding to their DNA doesn't cause their bodies to commit cellular suicide because something went wrong? Too much of a risk, as is the chance that I might actually lose control and kick-start Outbreak number three.”

“I was a special case”, Heller added. “I volunteered for experiments, and Blackwatch injected me with some experimental Blacklight shit. I became stronger and tougher, but that was it. And more even, I had to use inhibitor drugs to prevent my body from just eating itself and turning me into a shambling zombie. Mercer helped me out because I basically forced him to. If he hadn't gotten this shit under control, I would be dead by now.”

He could still die from a sudden rejection, Alex thought, but it was a low risk. Cole grimaced.

“So no chance to protect all those people affected by the Ray Field Radiation?”

“There is one. Negate the radiation. That's what the RFI is supposed to be there for.” Alex shrugged. “Not sure in how far it'll help against the damage already done, but at least it'll stop the spread.”

“Wow, you guys are a barrel of sunshine, aren't you?”

“Thanks”, Heller grinned. “We're doing our best.”

“Optimism is overrated anyways”, Dana threw in now that they had reached the group of their friends. Dana, Kuo, Zeke and Cross were present, standing right in the middle of the crowd like any other attendee. Cole made a bee-line to Dunbar.

“You ready, brother?”

Cole shrugged. “As ready as one can be, I guess.”

“Good”, Cross rumbled in a low voice. “Bertrand's the priority target. It would be best to grab him once he's away from his men, but that doesn't matter all too much as long we keep clear off the civilians.”

“If there are any problems”, Dana added, “Heller and Kuo volunteered for drawing the Militia's attention. Zeke and I can distract the people.” She picked up her phone, showing what looked like a circuit diagram. “I figured it'll be easy to cause a blackout. Idiots have everything wireless here for easier control.”

Too dangerous, Alex wanted to say, but he knew how goddamn stubborn Dana was, so he had to let it slide. Something was in the air, and the civilians were getting restless.   
And that wasn't everything either. He carefully looked around, glancing over his shoulder as he singled out a person that somehow didn't behave like the others in the crowd. He was dressed like a civilian, but there was something about his eyes he didn't like. He was whispering with another couple of attendees, and Alex heard several times the words 'Electric Man', 'Demon', 'Unrest', and others. It were cheap words, little words and logically speaking, they should be dismissed as idiotic. But they weren't, those that listened did so with rapt attention, and once the guy slunk away, they started to spread those words further.

His eyes narrowed as he turned Heller and Cross. “We got a bunch of agitators in the crowd”, he rumbled, because those weren't the only ones.

“Already noticed”, Heller confirmed with an equally darkened expression.

“I think they've been at it for the better of the afternoon”, Kuo added. “They are planting discord and distrust.” Almost like Runners, Alex thought wryly, spreading disease from host to host. In this case though, it were less infectious particles and more ideas and rumors. Both were equally dangerous in the right mixture, and those guys were making sure the mixture was alright.

“It's going to blow”, Cross growled under his breath, then glanced at Dunbar and Dana. “You still want to stick around?”

“I'm not afraid”, Dana countered stubbornly. Alex knew her pulse had sped up, but that wasn't fear- it was irritation. And anyways, with Heller, Cross _and_ him here, there wasn't much that could harm her.

“No problem, man”, Dunbar added. “Super Spy here and Cole are my best mates anyways. And I do have my little friend with me too.” He patted the holster at his side. “We'll be fine.”

“Still”, Kuo pointed out, “It could get ugly. A crowd of people are vicious animals.”

“Reverse swarm intelligence”, Dana shrugged. “We'll keep our head down if shit hits the fan.”

Alex just cocked his head, eying the crowd around them. They were too busy gawking at the stage in front of the church, where several members of the Militia appeared. Music started playing from hidden loudspeakers, timed perfectly for a man in a black suit to enter from behind the curtain, and Dana groaned. “What did I tell you? He got his own theme and a dramatic entrance! That guy just yells loudly 'I'm the bad guy'.”

Alex perked up, focusing on the man on the stage. White hair slicked back, black suit, red vest, a ceremonial sword hanging from his belt. “That Bertrand?”

“Oh yes. That's him.” He blinked briefly, having expected Kuo to talk, but it was actually Cross who did. His expression was carefully blank, but there was a glint of dislike in his eyes. Alex wondered whether it was simple antipathy for the man, or whether it was something else entirely.

Several people in the crowd explosively started cheering, and it quickly took hold of nearly everybody else. Cole grimaced at the volume, though refrained from saying anything as Bertrand lifted his hands and the cheering stopped near immediately.

“My friends”, he began, and Alex felt his lips peel away from his teeth in a snarl. Something felt _wrong_ about this, and that wasn't just the obviously fake worry the man demonstrated. “I am afraid I do no bear good news. I know I promised you to take care of your safety, but I have need of your eyes and ears, as it came to my attention that the danger that swirled in the darkness now finally surfaced. The Devil already walks among us, bringing with him fire stolen from the sky. Cole MacGrath, the Electric Man has arrived in New Marais.”

“Fucking really?” Dana huffed out as the crowd began to murmur among itself.

“And following him”, Bertrand continued, pitching his voice even higher, “Is the Monster that destroyed the glorious city of Manhattan, Alex Mercer.”

The crowd started sounding panicked.

“Nice”, Cole commented sarcastically. “You hearing that?”

“I'm not deaf”, Alex growled, but he had already ducked his head and was almost physically forcing himself to not move. The tangible fear in the crowd was starting to get to him, like chickens fluttering about in their coop when a weasel managed to break in. He currently felt more and more like this weasel, the panic around him starting to drive him mad. If it continued, he would start biting until nothing was moving anymore.

“Our forefathers”, Bertrand added, “Bled and died in defense of this city. When history called upon them to stand against the enemy- did they cower?” He tilted his head slightly, pausing and dramatically drawing his saber from his side before he continued. “No! They fought!” He leaned to the front. “To the last man.”

Heller scoffed, frowning deeply. “Seriously, how in the World can somebody listen to this bullshit?”

“Reverse swarm intelligence, man”, Dana replied.

“I don't like this”, Kuo mentioned, glancing at the crowd around them. “They're getting violent.”

Bertrand was lifting his hands again, waving towards the Militia members standing besides him. “My men”, he said, and Alex heard Cross mutter a swear under his breath when the black-clad shapes of  _Blackwatch_ appeared on stage. He recognized the Wisemen, as they held their helmets tucked under their arms. “And these fine soldiers from Manhattan”, Bertrand continued, “They who already fought and bled the Monster of Manhattan, they have come here to stand ready. To be the guardians of this city, and they are all that stands between you and these freaks!”

Alex could tell that the Wisemen were everything  _but_ happy with the arrangement, and he swore he caught the eyes of the D-Code that lumbered in the background, as the man carefully lowered himself to Captain Santos's ear to whisper something to her. The woman's eyes narrowed, and while her posture didn't change, her gaze found her Colonel's quickly.

Cross's expression turned sour, and he just made a brief motion that told them he was going to get into contact with them soon enough.

“And with God as my witness”, Bertrand barked, “We shall hunt them down and destroy all of them!”

Alex's back bristled as the crowd erupted into cheers, and his head snapped upwards, his pale eyes narrowing as his focus shifted slightly. There was someone crouched just above the stage.

No.

Not someone. Some _thing_ . It didn't appear to be human.

“Up there!” One of the agitators suddenly yelled, “Freaks!”

The thing stepped to the front and  _shrieked_ . Alex snarled in reply, already moving towards the stage just as the Militia turned around and aimed their rifles at it. _No!_ This wasn't their kill. This wasn't their prey. This was  _his_ .  
The coat dropped to the ground, and Alex fanned his claws to the sides, teeth bared and eyes almost glowing in the gloom. People screamed and dove to the sides, drawing attention. Towards him. Towards the others?

He didn't care, didn't care that he heard someone yell his name. Only the  _prey_ mattered. 

A growl worked itself out of his throat as he reached the stage and vaulted over the edge, landing on the wooden surface with a resounding  _crack_ that made the humans there jerk back. One of them, one of the Militia hicks, was too close. Gun too close. Alex snarled and lunged towards the man, grabbing his head. Too easy to crush it, but he wasn't supposed to. Why, he couldn't tell at the moment, but he would remember. He spun around and just flung the guy into the crowd with a resounding growl, then faced the thing on the roof. 

It shrieked at him, he replied in kind, and it pounced off its perch. He instantly rocketed off the ground too, meeting it in mid-air. His talons snatched its arms, and he let his body fall to the side to spin them around and get it under his body. Curling his back, he pressed both feet flat against its chest, then suddenly let go of it as he kicked it down. He hit its perch in a perfect crouch, it slammed into the ground  _hard_ . But it didn't stay still, was flailing its limbs and screeching in pain, driving shards of white-hot rage through his head. He shot off again and slammed bodily into the thing, shattering the stage and cratering the floor beneath, then instantly bounced off again and dragged it with him, only to take a more secure hold of it and thrusting his body back down to smash it into the stage violently. It turned to fine mist in a sickening squelch.

The crowd was screaming, fleeing and fluttering around like chicken. Alex growled and slammed his claws into the ground,  _roaring_ at them. To make them silent, or to display his powers, or to goad them into attacking him, he didn't know. It only made them scream louder, though, panic harder, and his head started hurting. He wasn't supposed to kill them, that much he knew, but now the Militia guys were yelling too, and their guns were aiming at him. He snarled at them, claws scraping the floor, when he took notice of the black-clad soldiers behind them. Blackwatch, and he'd forgotten about them. Blackwatch were his enemies, but they were human and he wasn't supposed to attack  _humans_ -

More screeches behind him, and he spun on his heel, eyes instantly finding viable targets. Several more of these things just arrived, all of them focusing on him- most likely smelling the remains of their friend on him.

That, he could deal with.

* * *

Cole's first thought was that maybe sending Alex home wasn't as dumb of an idea as it sounded. Because he turned pretty focused on Bertrand first, then suddenly started storming off the moment he noticed these... _Freaks_ . Cole didn't get a very good look at them, but their appearance, coupled with his friend's not-so-subtle charge towards the stage kind of sent the crowd panicking. Probably exactly what Bertrand had planned, though it put them into danger. Colonel Blackwatch was yelling after Mercer, but that fell on deaf ears, so he quickly gave it up with a frustrated sigh. Cole instantly seized the chance, grabbing Kuo's arm. “Get Zeke and Dana out of here. You guys need to stay undercover as long as possible, and the crowd's panicking.” Nobody was going to pay them closer attention.

“Got it”, to give her credit, she didn't even blink at his request, just turned to Zeke and Dana. “C'mon, let's get out of here.” They flinched violently when they heard a bloodcurdling screech from the stage, and Cole swore under his breath.

“Something fucked is happening to Alex”, Dana hissed defiantly, “I can't just leave here!”

“You have to”, Heller threw in. “You ain't half as indestructible as we are. Anything happens to you, and all bets are off. I check in on the brat.” The woman inhaled once, but quickly nodded sharply instead of protesting. Then, along with Kuo and Zeke, she mingled into the fleeing crowd to get out of sight.

Cole was already rushing towards the stage himself, shoving a few people out of the way. “Sorry, Devil's coming through!” He witnessed Alex just pounding the thing into the ground, splattering it basically  _everywhere_ , and stopped briefly. He had never seen him like that.

“Ah fuck”, Heller came to a halt next to him, grimacing. “That doesn't look good.”

“More of them approaching”, Colonel Blackwatch snorted, hefting a rifle. Cole blinked, briefly taken aback. “Where did you get _that_ one from?”

“Idiot over there”, the man shrugged, motioning to an unconscious hick on the floor. “But I meant what I was saying. There are _more_ of them approaching.”

Screeches echoed all around them, and pale shapes peeled from the shadows and charged the stage. Alex greeted them with a roar of his own, already moving to intercept the closest ones. One of them broke off from the main bulk and rushed them, bladed arms ready to strike. Cole moved fastest, whirling and bringing his Amp between them in a violent strike that made the creature stumble back and lose footing for a brief moment. In an instant, he clenched his hand and threw it to the front, firing several bolts of lightning at the thing. It shrieked and fell back, but not as quickly as humans do. So it was tougher.

Uglier too, now that he could see it close-up. A pale human's torso was pasted on a pair of multi-jointed, insectoid legs. Its arms were sharp blade-like limbs without any hands, and it had insect-like mandibles instead of a mouth. Its eyes were glowing pale red, and there were all too human furrows of rage on its face as it screeched and dove at him again. Cole was about to zap or whack it again, when Heller simply punched it- though he punched it so hard his fist sank through its chest. The thing blinked in confusion, and when Heller pulled his arm back, it collapsed to the ground twitching.

“The fuck?!”

“No idea”, the Conduit admitted, then ducked as a shot cracked right next to him, felling another of these things. “Less talking. More chasing. Bertrand's getting away”, Colonel Blackwatch growled, already taking aim at another one.

“Shit!” Cole instantly started running again, dodging another creature that tried to jump him. It collapsed as a volley of bullets ate through its face, and Cole hesitated briefly, glancing back.

“Go, damnit!”, Colonel Blackwatch snapped at him. “These things don't put up much of a fight anyways!"

“Got it”, the Conduit started up again, but didn't get any further when he witnessed another thing just pouncing on a terrified couple who obviously hadn't managed to get away in time. Screw Bertrand, he could always catch up to him later on. Cole snarled and launched himself at the thing, lightning snapping out of his body. He tried to zap it the moment he touched it, but its skin was tougher than that of normal humans, offering too much resistance.  
It didn't protect it from his Amp, though, and Cole's already monstrous strength was only amplified when adding in a four-foot metal rod. The creature crumpled under the assault, though another was already rushing in to take its place. Cole grit his teeth and braced himself, briefly glancing at the couple. “Run” They didn't hesitate, just escaped the moment the beast collided with the Conduit with enough force to nearly knock him off balance. But only _nearly_ , as he managed to push it back with little trouble. As soon there was some distance between them, a second, already thoroughly pulped one, came flying with so much speed and raw power that his critter splattered on contact.

He quickly threw a glance over his shoulder for his partner, but couldn't decide whether it had been Alex (who was currently ripping another thing in halves) or Heller (who was fiercly crushing the heads of two together to obliterate their skulls). No matter, because Bertrand was getting away, though he could see him, just getting into a white limousine down the street.

_Oh Hell, you won't!_

He pushed himself to chase after it, vaulting over the railing separating the elevated church forecourt with the stairway leading up to it. Just as he got to the street, the car took off, and he heard Bertrand's voice taunting him. “Another time, MacGrath!”

Yeah? So he didn't factor in his bullheadedness. The Conduit instantly latched onto a mast that connected to a wire hung with lamps, and charged up to magnetically repel him along the metal. By timing it correctly, he could use the momentum he build to easily cross the rooftop connected to it and get on top of the next wire without having to slow down for running.

He caught up to the limousine quickly, but suddenly had to dive to the side to avoid a missile being shot at his face. “Aw, C'mon!” He swore, ducking again and jumping off to get back on the wires. He seriously didn't have any time for this bullshit, but he knew perfectly well that these assholes weren't going to shoot at him if he kept close to Bertrand. Too high the risk of them hitting him.

Which meant he just had to soldier through. So he forced himself to move even faster, using his thrusters to increase his speed and reduce the chance of them getting a clear shot at him.

Right in front of him the mast holding the wire toppled, but Cole didn't slow down. Instead, he only ducked lower to reduce wind drag, and jumped off the moment he reached the end.  
And he had timed it well, hitting the trunk of Bertrand's limousine just as it sped past him. The driver immediately tried to shake him, but Cole's fingers hooked against the metal, and his powers flared again in a way similar to his grinding. Magnetism was just another branch of his electrical arsenal, and quite useful in this case. Because he couldn't be shaken, and the driver apparently quickly decided against giving his passenger motion sickness. Cole grit his teeth and pounced to the front, landing right next to the sun roof- that was kept open, he noticed.

Well, that was just  _ideal_ , wasn't it? He crouched down, kneeling on the roof as he glared down at Bertrand. “About time you and I had a chat.”

Bertrand was eying him with contempt, taking a drag from his cigar. “I got nothing to say to you, freak.” Wow, didn't that hurt?

Cole scoffed and lifted one hand, wreathing it in lightning. “Cut the crap”, he growled. “You're going to take me to Wolfe. Now!”

The old man just chuckled. “Oho. Making demands now, are you?” He pointed his cigar at the Conduit. “If I were you, I'd be a bit more worried about my head.”

Head? Cole blinked, then hissed when realization set in. He'd seen way too many movies about people getting their shit wrecked by low hanging signs or tunnel entries- But there shouldn't be any signs or tunnels here, should there--?!

Something hit the back of his skull with a resounding  _clang_ , and the force of the impact was strong enough to bodily throw him through the air, smacking him against the asphalt with enough momentum so he rolled over and stayed down. His head felt like cotton for a moment, until clarity came back to him while he stared at the sky. The RFI was digging awkwardly into his spine, but didn't feel broken.

So much for the plan then. And  _what_ was that noise coming at him?

Oh.

_Oh_

Helicopter. And guessing that it was probably one of the Militia's, he maybe shouldn't dawdle too long. He forced himself to sit up, eyes finally slipping back into focus as they zeroed in on the missile launchers attached to the chopper's wings. He groaned and muttered a few choice words under his breath, because  _of course_ the Militia had helicopters armed to the teeth. 

Two Hydra-type missiles hissed towards him, and Cole quickly scrambled to the side to avoid the explosion. The blast of the sudden expansion of air however, still hit him like an invisible fist, rattling his bones.

Screw that.

He whirled on one heel, summoning grenades into each of his hands to throw them at the helicopter. The effect was...underwhelming. The charge dispersed across the chopper's surface harmlessly, leaving him to dodge a machine gun volley.  
He could have slapped himself. Of  _course_ lightning doesn't work against vehicles made from friggin'  _metal_ ! Goddamn middle school grade Physics. So unless he managed to fry the electronic systems on board through sheer dumb luck, he was out of possibilities to deal with it.

However, there were _other_ ways here. He couldn't use electricity to take down the helicopter, but he could use his electricity to _take down_ the helicopter.   
Cole instantly ducked to the side, focused on his electromagnetic pulse, and picked up the closest derelict car, making it hover in front of him.

“Yeah?! How about that, huh?!” He yelled at the helicopter, “Hit me in the head again, will you?!” With one mental flick, he shot the car into the direction of the helicopter, though he missed by several feet. No problem, because Cole had another one picked up and aimed at them by the time the other dropped into the streets. This shot only touched the chopper, but there was enough force behind it that it ripped off one of its wings and damaged the fuselage.

The helicopter veered off course, though remained airborne. Before the Conduit could pick up a third car however, a tell-tale crack echoed from one of the buildings nearby, and a black blur hit the vehicle with one leg outstretched. The blow was powerful enough to completely throw it off course so it crashed into a building that was currently under construction.

The attacker landed almost next to him, cracking his neck. “That felt amazing. Haven't done that in a while.”

Cole already had a fitting retort on his tongue, but it died quickly when he noticed that it wasn't who he expected, but rather the other guy. Heller.   
He couldn't really evaluate the man yet, didn't have all information needed. Which meant Cole didn't say anything, just shrugged while the large man grinned excited as he stepped to the wreckage and simply pried it open to drag the pilots out. They were in bad shape from the crash, so Cole moved towards them and simply healed them so they wouldn't die from their injuries, but left some bones broken.

He became aware of the arched eyebrow in his direction, so he made a big show to brush himself off after pinning the guys to the floor with a pair of manacles. “We can't just let them die”, he pointed out. “Enemy or not, it'll be more problems for us if we kill them.”

“Plus an injured enemy takes up more resources and manpower than a dead one”, Heller finished. “I know that one.” He fell silent for a moment, eyes scanning the area. “So Bertrand got away, huh?”

The Conduit huffed. “I nearly had him. Didn't expect the chopper.”

“There were a lot of things I think neither of us expected tonight”, the Sergeant commented.

“You meaning these...bug-slash-crocodile-slash-people-slash-whatever things?”

“Yeah. I got some serious flashbacks from them too”, the other man replied, but Cole could see his eyes tightening and his jaw set. Manhattan, he'd been in Manhattan, and in Manhattan had been zombies.

“You...need a moment?” 

“What?” The tense expression turned into a confused one, before he saw clarity in the man's eyes. “You think I'm getting a PTSD episode?”

“I guess”, Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “Not everybody can deal with shit like that so easily.”

“I already dealt with it. Whatever happened, it made me stronger than I've been. I can deal with it”, Heller explained to him, and it wasn't even in a condescending tone. He was being honest about it. “It's just, these things remind me of the Infected. But I know they aren't, they didn't show up in the Hive Mind.”

“But _what_ were they?” The Conduit asked out loud as they started walking away from the crashed chopper. They were weird, but he would be lying if he said it wasn't somewhat exciting. Maybe he needed to visit a shrink at some point. He stopped suddenly, eyes going upwards. It was dark, and there were stories...

“The trawler captain we came in with said there were things in the swamp. Monsters that ate people, but only came out at night”, he said. “We thought they were just rumors, but then a cop here told us the same again.”

“So I guess those weren't rumors at all, huh?” Heller scoffed, then grabbed his shoulder more gentle than Cole expected from a guy his frame. “C'mon. We get back to our base. I doubt we can do much asides from waiting for the emotions to calm down again. Right now, the city is like a hornet's nest.”

“What about Alex?”

Heller grimaced briefly. “The Wisemen- that were those soldiers with the Militia- and Cross are looking after him.”

“What happened to him?” Because he had never seen him like that before. Then a thought came to him. “You ever dealt with something like that before?”

“Not with him”, was the reply, “But I've seen it. The moment after we killed the main Runner. All of the stronger Infected suddenly started rampaging out of control. Tonight, Mercer was the same. More Hunter than Runner.”

That...sounded not good. “He was on the mend when I left, however, and he didn't attack any of the people”, the Sergeant added. “Guess he just needed everybody to shut the fuck up. Like I said, Cross is with him.”

“Let's check up on him anyways”, Cole decided. He didn't really trust Colonel Blackwatch, even if Alex and Dana did. “We gotta find Wolfe”, he muttered. 

“Yeah, we have to”, Heller agreed. “Now more than ever- Bertrand knows we're looking for him, so he will have to relocate the man. Or have him killed.”

“I can't allow this”, Cole growled. “He's our only hope.”

“He is _one_ hope”, Heller corrected. “But we got some of his data. We got the RFI.”

Cole had pulled it free, glad to find it still in one piece. It soothed him somewhat. “Yeah, we got this thing. We still got this down.”

And Bertrand was going to rue his decision to have fucked them over. That, he promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now it gets serious. In both this story and real life, because tomorrow we'll move the kitchen. Moving the kitchen however means that we will relocate completely, including our computers, and that means no internet until our provider gets his ass up to alter our data.  
> Which is why you'll get the chapter now.
> 
> Enjoy and don't let media or government tell you to panic, because frankly speaking, there is nothing to panic about.
> 
> Tiny Easter Egg here too, in Cross's family.


	11. Wolfe Hunt

“Sir, with all respect, but are you out of your fucking mind?!”

Cross exhaled what could have been a weary sigh (but he was going to die denying it), and suppressed the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He knew what this was about, and he had heard this argument a few times already.

“You'll need to be more specific”, he countered. “Do you mean that I am constantly ignoring my own orders, or that I'm constantly picking his side?”

“Both”, Captain Santos didn't seem to be too happy.

Cross cocked his head. “You've seen the files, back in Manhattan. The very reason for Blackwatch's existence was the creation of Biological Weapons. When I became a member, my oath was to protect the population, not the government.”

“But siding with ZEUS?” Santos exhaled harshly. “It is exactly what we are supposed to stop. It is a Biological Weapon. And more, it killed a lot of our men, caused damage of billions of dollars.” 

“While preventing a World-Wide Outbreak at the same time”, he snorted briefly. “Randall had fucked it up in Idaho. Near fifty years later we still have to pick up the shards and get everything back in order. Mercer started it, exposed this entire Bioweapon Research program. Which means whether we like it or not, he's very much part of this mess.”

“We should kill it”, Santos suggested, “Especially now, since it's weakened.”

“And who'll be our flesh shield against the Beast?” Cross couldn't disguise the sigh that made its way out of his chest. “Mercer is still the most invulnerable here, plus he has knowledge about this giant bastard, knowledge neither of us has.”

Santos eyed him for a few long moments. “It sounds like you're defending it. You've done so back in Manhattan already, fed Taggart and Randall to it like it's some pet. I don't like this, and one day it'll kill you.”

“Maybe he will”, The Specialist agreed. Maybe that was karmic retribution. After all, he had sacrificed a lot good men just to gain his trust. It wouldn't be entirely unexpected either. But it was done, and right now, they were allies. Brothers in arms, and they had each other's backs. “I've done my decision. And I'll stand with it to the end.”

The captain exhaled very slowly. “And you know fucking well that we'll stand with you. Forever. Whatever you do with this thing, it's working. So I have to assume you know what you are doing. Just give a word, and the Wisemen will take out these inbred hicks. No questions asked.”

“I know. Thanks, Captain. Keep your eyes open for anything that has anything to do with this Conduit bullshit we're currently dealing with.”

“Sir.” Captain Santos saluted her superior, glanced at the gathered crowd on this roof, and headed towards the fire escape to climb down and return to the compound. Cross knew she wouldn't blab to anybody outside of the Wisemen. From that side they were secure.

But that was only  _one_ side. Far more concerning was the Militia, and these things that attacked the public meeting. He didn't believe for a single moment that this had been coincidence. Bertrand had talked about his Militia being the savior of New Marais, and then suddenly a threat appeared? It was either the worst luck ever, or someone had sent these things to attack. It would give legitimacy to Bertrand's cause, and silence any opposing voices. Additionally, this scramble had revealed their presence to the city. Mercer and MacGrath had been demonized, while Heller's and his cover was blown. Both men were supposed to be still in their respective home bases, not New Marais. A little asking around, and their cover stories were going to crumble like a card house.

And to top it off, Bertrand managed to get away, and with him their best chance to find Doctor Wolfe. He exhaled once, and noticed MacGrath and Dunbar flinch back violently. Dana and Heller were looking rather sour. Agent Kuo seemed worried for Wolfe's continued safety. Mercer looked a lot like a cat someone tried to drown.

“So we fucked this up. And?” The Specialist asked. “You're going to throw the towel?” God knows he had his fair share of failures himself, no need to beat others up about it.

“Not going to give up”, MacGrath replied hotly. “I just think it finally settled.” He huffed out, bouncing his knees. “I think those were these Swamp Monsters we were told about, which kind of means that there _really_ are monsters in the bog and I don't want to have to deal with them too when we still got the Beast to think about.” He leaned back against the couch, groaning. “But to deal with the Beast I have to deal with Bertrand, because he has the Blast Cores I need to use Wolfe's RFI. And dealing with Bertrand means I gotta beat up these Militia idiots, and find Wolfe.” He groaned and ran both hands down his face. “Jesus Christ, can't it ever be _simple_?”

“Simple would be _boring_ , brother”, Dunbar commented with an excited grin. “I mean whoa! There's some serious stuff goin' on here.”

“Yeah, I noticed”, MacGrath replied in a tired tone. “Just...” His face became thoughtful. “Isn't that kind of too much of a coincidence? I mean Bertrand talks about the Militia being his shield, and using your Wisemen too- and suddenly Monsters pop up for him to conveniently pick them off? This smells like a PR move.”

“Already figured that”, Cross furrowed his brows, then turned to Heller. “You notice anything off with these guys?”

“...The Swamp Beasts didn't jump the Militia”, the Evolved pointed out slowly. “They came at us, and they came at the civilians. But not the Militia. Even though they should have to defend themselves. Instead”, He frowned. “Instead they ignored them. No, ignore isn't the right word. They snarled at them, but never attacked.”

“So they were scared of a bunch of hicks?” Dunbar questioned in confusion.

“Not scared”, Dana realized, “More like...they didn't attack them because they weren't _supposed_ to. Right?”

“Exactly”, Heller cocked his head, “They weren't doing this voluntarily, so someone controlled them.”

“Not a Runner though”, Mercer's voice rasped. Nearly all of the others paused and looked into his direction. “These things weren't infected.”

“That much I already figured too”, Heller replied.

“Not _virally_ infected, at any rate”, Mercer continued. “We have seen the like already, Cole.”

The Conduit was frowning for a moment until his face went slack. “Sasha-” he grit out, “The Reapers- but they had been more human than these things.”

“Sasha wasn't”, Dana commented, and Cross felt that this entire conversation went over his head. He figured Heller and Agent Kuo were thinking the same. “And then again, hadn't there been a Ray Sphere Explosion _years_ ago?”

“You mean, Ray Field Energy can make Conduits turn into something like those things?”, Dunbar sounded terrified at the idea.

“I doubt it. Sasha and David were pretty unique cases. Kessler was one hundred and twenty, and asides from his eyes, didn't look much different.”

At this moment, Agent Kuo's eyes suddenly lit up. “What you are talking about- has this anything to do with this 'Swamp Witch'?”

MacGrath's expression shifted slightly. “Exactly”

“And what _is_ the Swamp Witch, exactly please?” Cross finally ground out, feeling annoyed at being left out of the loop. That was when the other four eventually realized that, indeed, he was being left out of the loop.

“When we entered New Marais”, Mercer commented, looking a little livelier than he'd done before, “The trawler captain mistook me for something he called a Swamp Beast.”

“Which is totally understandable, because we've seen these things just now”, MacGrath added, and Mercer growled in displeasure. The Conduit blatantly ignored him. “Before the Ray Sphere, the thing that made the hole in Empire and gave me my powers, before it was in Empire, it had been here. Kessler had Wolfe work on it- and then we were told that it blew up in the swamps. People said a lot of folks vanished back then, and now there are freaks running around, freaks that could have been very well people until they got in contact with a Conduit.”

“So it's a Conduit Runner, then?” Heller summarized with a shrug. “I don't see how this is different then. We can assume it's somebody in Bertrand's employ.”

“Bertrand? But he hates Conduits”, Dunbar pointed out.

“Don't think for even _one_ second that this 'hatred' is real”, Cross scoffed. “He's only putting up a show. And to control the people, he needs a common enemy.”

“Okay, so Bertrand's a lying asshole. Anything else?” MacGrath summed up.

“The creatures”, Mercer mentioned. “They used to be human. And the Militia's capturing 'deviants', who are never seen again.”

“Whelp”, MacGrath threw up his arms, “Looks like we do need some better protected hideout. And watch shifts. And possibly barbed wire, 'cuz I don't want to wake up one morning and realize that my friends just turned into bug people.”

* * *

“Couldn't sleep?”

“Not when you keep sneaking out.”

Alex tilted his head a little to look at Dana, who had approached his position some way off from their current headquarters. It was after midnight, and she should have been sleeping, or at least napping a little. Cole and Zeke did, as did Heller and agent Kuo. Cross was still awake and keeping watch currently, glancing their direction ever so often.

“I'm not sneaking out.”

“Sure”, Dana stood besides his perch, the concrete divider of the roof. “Look, I know you. And I know something's eating you.” She nudged his shoulder. “It's because of whatever happened at Bertrand's public speech, isn't it? You went nuts.”

Alex exhaled, slumping his shoulders. “I don't know what went down. I remember this...Swamp Beast approach. And it wasn't human, so all I could think was that it wouldn't violate my word if I killed it.”

“It was terrifying”, Dana admitted. “Or at least the part I witnessed before Jane Bond and Zeke whisked me off.” She sat down next to him, dangling one leg over the edge and propped the other up under her chin. “It was like Manhattan. Like you weren't you anymore. Like you were just another infected.”

Alex grit his teeth. “I don't know what it had been. Blood lust, hunger, just getting worked up because everyone was flapping about like a bunch of headless chickens” He shook his head. “All I wanted to do was to kill them. Or just bite? They weren't cooperating enough for that.” He didn't know why, it was just some form of instinct. It was present even now, though a lot weaker and easily ignored.

“Do you think it was hunger?” Dana pulled another snack bar from her pocket. “Look, if you are hungry, we can work with this-”

Alex made a face and pushed the bar away. “It's not that form of hunger. Or, at least it doesn't feel like it. I want to bite something, but it's not because I want to eat.” The food he had tried was still roiling around in his stomach and made him feel nauseous. He could guess it was because he wasn't truly human, and his body just didn't work correctly, having still no real organs. Until now, he didn't feel any ill effects however. He still had enough mass so consuming wasn't going to be a problem in the foreseeable future.

“You think you can fix it?”

“There should be a way”, he confirmed. The virus was still inside of him, so maybe there was a way to make his body work again. He still didn't know what it was, though something was tugging at the edge of his brain. He was pretty sure the answer was actually very easy, but for some reason, it kept eluding him. He grunted and shook his head, carefully pinching the bridge of his nose with the base of his claws rather than the razor-like tips. “My head starts hurting every time I try to think about this.” Then he noticed that Dana's attention was off him. “Dana?”

“Alex?” She pointed to a figure walking along the street at a hurried pace. “Is it just me, or is that guy _glowing_?”

He squinted at the guy. Dana was right, he  _was_ glowing. Pale blue, and then his eyes caught something that was partly obscured by the guy's jacket. “He's got a Blast Shard.”

“You mean those irradiated chunks of soil Wolfe collected?” Dana groaned. “When will people learn that 'glowing' equals 'Do not touch'?!” She frowned briefly, then grabbed Alex's shoulders. “Get me down there, I have to talk to him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. Now go.”

Alex hesitated briefly, glanced back at Cross, then grabbed Dana a bit more tightly and jumped off the building to chase after the man, overtaking him easily to put his sister down in an alley. She instantly hurried on the street to stand right in front of the man. “Hey! You!”

The man stopped, blinking. Dana smiled at him. “I couldn't help but notice you got a large glowing shard with you.”

The man scowled, puffing out and balling his fists. “So? It's mine!” Alex felt the irritation radiating off the man's body and bared his teeth in a snarl, but Dana's hand moved slightly in a 'Stop' motion, so he didn't come out of his cover.

“I just said it looks interesting”, his sister told the man. “Where did you get it?”

The man was still scowling. “Around. Not gonna tell ya.”

“Why not?”

“Because it's _my_ money, understood?”

“Money?”

“It'll bring a nice sum, but I ain't gonna tell you more, bitch!”

Dana's eyes hardened, and her finger twitched towards the guy. Alex struck like lightning, shooting out of the alleyway to grab the guy and drag him off the street, then pinning him against the wall with a low snarl. Dana sauntered in after him, glare directed at the man, who was too terrified to struggle or even scream. “I'll ask this only once. Who is paying you money for those shards?” The man stared at them with wide eyes, unable to speak, when Alex growled once, and the guy jerked.

“The Militia!” He yelped. “The Militia's buying all those things!”

“The Militia?” Dana glanced at Alex, who stared back. Were they aware these shards would empower Cole? “Why?”

The man squirmed. “They're makin' weapons! Weapons against all those freaks! These things contain energy, they say, because they need them to blow you freaks up!”

“Bombs”, Alex realized, then bared his teeth at the man. “The Militia's making _bombs_?!”

“They are supposed to stop you bastards!” The guy spat. Dana just frowned, then huffed out. “Drop him.”

Alex did so, letting the man crumple to the floor, but didn't back off. Instead, Dana walked up to him, toeing the Blast Shard that had dropped to the ground. “You should be glad we're taking this thing off you, you know?” She claimed easily. “Because these things are radioactive. You carry one too long, and you can make a great welcome party for cancer.” Alex scooped the shard up, then her with the other arm. She glanced at the guy one last time. “Also, I think you understand that we won't tolerate you blabbing about this meeting, do you?”

The man nodded hastily. Good enough.  
Alex scoffed and leapt upwards, carrying Dana to a rooftop a little way off from their hideout. He put her down gently, and dropped the shard next to the AC unit. He swore his hands were tingling, though that were most likely just his nerves talking. After such a short amount of time, his body wouldn't be affected enough for his DNA to spontaneously falling apart. In Empire it had taken some time for the radiation to have an effect anyways, and now with his cells unable to change their location, a much smaller part of him would be affected anyways.

“If Bertrand makes the Shards into bombs...” Dana grimaced, “That means he's playing awfully loose with the lives of the people here.”

“Which means I need to try and secure as many shards as possible. Even from those bombs, to make sure they can't be used.”

“'I', Alex?” Dana's eyebrows were arched. “Don't you mean 'we'?”

“Pretty sure I didn't.”

She cocked her head. “Look, I get it that you want to protect me, and radiation is something very fucked up to deal with, but I want to help you. I'm even going to stay away from the shards, but don't go alone.”

He really shouldn't indulge her. He really should take her back to Cross and Heller and tell her to wait- he had a target now, something that took his mind off from his other problems, something to  _hunt_ , even if the shards weren't exactly alive. But then he would be all alone again, and even if it was only for a few hours, he didn't like the idea. He bowed his head slightly. “Piggyback?”

“Piggyback”, Dana beamed.

* * *

Cole was taking a sip from a thermos filled with coffee- Sherry had handed it over before going to bed herself- and glanced over the group of people he considered friends at most, and allies at least. Agent Kuo had made a nest of blankets on the armchair, rolled up much like a cat. Zeke was sprawled on their deck chair, mouth open and snoring. Agent Heller was sitting on the couch, head resting against his chest and arms crossed, mimicking Colonel Blackwatch's position next to him down to a synchronized breathing. Both of them were only half asleep, he knew. Military dudes, on watch even when they weren't supposed to.

Alex and Dana were gone, and from what he learnt from Colonel Blackwatch through Heller, they had snuck off during the night, though all of them had seen them return sporadically to a roof nearby. When they returned once and left quickly again, he curiously sent out a pulse that came back with a large source of energy that grew slightly every time the siblings returned.

“The Fuck they are doing?” Heller's voice was startling, though Cole would deny it made him jump.

He exhaled briefly, eying the Sergeant. “You awake already?”

“Don't need much sleep”, was the reply. “But question remains.”

“I think they're collecting Blast Shards.” Cole pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “No, they're _definitely_ collecting Blast Shards.”

“I thought it was our job to do that?”

The roof shook when Alex returned, letting Dana slip off his back. “Things have changed”, the Runner growled. “The Militia's collecting the shards too. We have to get to them before they do.”

“What?” Cole blinked. “What for?”

“For this shittery”, Dana exclaimed, dropping a metal contraption on their low table with a loud clank- which startled the others awake. “They found a way to utilize the Ray Field Energy inside the shards as energy source _and_ main volatile content to build some fucking bombs.” She sniffed. “We tried picking up all those we could find, but chances are we missed some. Especially since the civilians are getting paid for getting the Shards to Bertrand.”

Kuo was blinking owlishly at the contraptions, until her expression cleared. “I think I know what these are”, she claimed. “Wolfe had long since theorized that it was possible to use the lingering field energy for alternative energy sources. This design reminds me of his work.”

“So Bertrand nicked all his ideas off him?” Cole sighed. “Why am I not surprised?”

“This gives us another point to pry from- Bertrand showed his hand too early”, Cross pointed out. “We have the data about Wolfe's work from his messenger pigeons. We have agent Kuo who had worked closely with him. We can acquire Wolfe himself. And now Bertrand- who possibly has his own research complex somewhere. Complexes that size can't remain hidden for too long.”

“Problem there”, Zeke threw in, “We don't have Wolfe, we don't know where Bertrand is, and the data is encrypted in a form of secret language.”

“We don't know where Wolfe is”, Dana agreed, “But we have a good shot.” She pointed at the bomb case. “Alex and I, we've seen a few times groups of Militia driving off, leaving those things behind.”

“Wait- you mean we try and get one of them to talk?”

“Better”, Dana grinned. “You guys can follow some of the bomb squads around and look where they go, and Kuo and I will ask around. Militia guys like that will probably boast about their deeds sooner or later. We just need to frequent their main dives.”

Cole blinked. “Isn't that very dangerous?”

“It is”, Alex huffed out in a weary tone that said he already tried to dissuade his sister from the idea. “You try getting her off that idea.”

The Conduit grimaced. “Yeah, not gonna fight a losing battle. But at least she'll have Kuo to look after her.”

Alex's eyebrows arched in his typical 'Are-you-kidding-me' way. “It's the other way round. Kuo can be glad to have Dana at her side.”

Cole glanced to the side where the younger sibling had flopped on the couch and wasn't moving anymore. “...I'll believe you on that.” He paused for a moment. “I'm glad you're back in the game.”

His brow twitched. “Let's just get this over with fast.”

“...Right.” Cole let out a sigh, and just went back to the map. “Where to next?”

Colonel Blackwatch pointed at the airfield. “I'll get into contact with my guys and snoop around that place.” He paused, running his hand through his hair. “Also to thank them that they helped me get Mercer here unnoticed.”

“I'll take the south of the city”, Heller explained.

“Gaffney Street”, Alex declared. “I've seen a bunch of Militia loitering there. Could be one has answers.”

“I'll come with you then”, Cole declared. “I mean they are already looking at us closely. Could be we manage to draw them off the others- we are their main targets, right?”

“...yeah.”

“Then we'll bait the trap a little. Lure them to us. Get answers if possible.” He cracked his knuckles and let lightning crawl over his arms. “Let's hope they want to fight back. I'm in the mood to hurt someone.”

* * *

The day was passing a lot slower now that he waited for something to happen. Cole had started by consuming all the Blast Shards Alex and Dana had collected- which had been a rather low-key business, not like it had been back in Empire- and then dragged Alex along on his trip to draw attention. They spent the better part of the day just raining havoc on the Militia, break up muggings and interrogated a good amount of Militia idiots. The latter had been somewhat complicated- even though both of them had a pretty good grasp on telling lies apart from truth, the main reason for full-face masks became obvious pretty soon. Basically  _not a single_ of these hicks knew exactly who did what inside the Militia, or who they were outside of their uniforms. The secondary problem was that the smallest amount of pain or terror in face of a helpless situation and these guys simply shut down.

“Man, and here I thought it were rich women who faint like that”, Cole grumbled as another guy in Alex's talons went slack.

“Can we still break his leg?” Alex questioned.

“Make it a nice clean break, that should heal quick-” _CRACK_ “...I was joking.”

“I know”

Cole shuddered slightly as Mercer dropped the unconscious guy like a bag of trash. “Now what? It's been hours, and we still hadn't found anything.” The tone in his voice said he didn't like the idea of just running circles, of not having to do  _anything_ . 

Cole grimaced a little. “I think we did find out some things, alright?”

“Then enlighten me, please.”

“Well”, he ticked off his fingers. “A- these guys aren't as tough as they make out to be. They see no way out, they shut down. Pretty hilarious if they are supposed to be protecting the city. Which is actually strange, if you think about it.” He paused, lifting a second finger. “Which brings me to B. Because if those guys are actually _wussies_ , then how are they competent enough to fight the Swamp Beasts?”

“Because these things are glorified clay pigeons”, Mercer rumbled. “Heller already suspected that.”

“Which means that it's not only Bertrand _knows_ who's the Conduit controlling these things, some of the guys close to him have to too, but picking them up will be tricky, because C- The Militia's dumb uniforms aren't so dumb when you think of it. They are wearing outfits showing what _job_ they have- like bullet-proof vests for the heavy guys, and light stuff for those guys that are supposed to be snipers- but they don't show _rank_. And here's another thing- the full-face masks probably mean that these idiots have no clue just who they are outside of the uniform. I bet they got some form of identification so they don't accidentally pick off their own guys, but those don't mean you'll learn who is closest to Bertrand.” He groaned briefly. “This whole Militia thing- it is so cheap, so dumb- and that is exactly why it is working so well.”

“It's very fragile, however”, Alex pointed out simply. “Bertrand is the head of everything. If you take him out, then the whole shebang will come crashing down, because whether there are some with higher rank or not- they don't _hold_ any power over the others.” He scoffed, crossing his arms. “And how exactly does this help us find Wolfe?”

Cole's jaw went slack for a moment when all wind was taken from his sails. “Uhm, we know now that trying to get the information we want from those guys is a waste of time?”

“Maybe not”, Alex's eyes narrowed in thought. “Because the dumber the guys are, the more likely they are to blab about something when they aren't supposed to. They won't blab to us, but they will blab to their own guys, and they will blab to women they are trying to impress.”

He was moving fast now, and Cole didn't even have the chance to get out of the way when he grabbed his phone and called up Zeke. “Dunbar”

“ _Uh...Alex?”_

“I would have a task for you. I think it goes right up your alley.”

Cole could just imagine his friend blink dumbfounded.  _“Sure? Shoot, man.”_

“The Militia are a bunch of blind assholes. You are smart. You can make connections. Can you try to...butter up to them?”

Cole inhaled sharply when he realized what Alex was asking.  _“Wait, you mean I should infiltrate their ranks, turn into our spy?”_

“You should fit right in. You're white. Male. You got a Brooklyn accent. And you know enough about dumb assholes to play them.”

“ _Damn, man, this sounds good! Agent Dunbar, Special Infiltration Unit!”_ He sounded cheerful at the prospect.

“Zeke”, Cole cut in, “Do you think it's a good idea?”

“ _Hell yeah. We've been tryin' to crack them from the outside. Three days and we got nothin'. Let's try gettin' in from the inside.”_

“Let him try”, Alex rumbled. “What we are doing is like shooting sparrows with an Howitzer. Too much to actually work. Dunbar has no powers. Not like us, or Cross, or Heller. It might work a lot better.”

“ _Don't you worry, Cole”_ , Zeke chimed in. _“Because you're trusting me on this. And matter of fact, I already found a recruitin' outpost. I can do that.”_

Cole exhaled. “Just- just be careful, okay, Zeke?”

“ _Always, man!”_

The connection was cut, and the Conduit accepted his phone back. “I don't think this is a good idea.”

“You're thinking wrong”, the Runner commented simply as they started moving again. “They are going to expect you and me to attack them. They won't expect a powerless human to deliver the final blow.”

“Ouch”, Cole grimaced. “'Powerless' human. Don't let Zeke hear that, he'll mope for days.”

Alex blinked. “...Right. That was pretty rude.”

“And more or less untrue”, he shrugged. “Sure, he can't run up a wall at a hundred miles per hour, pick up cars and throw them, or make entire cities go dark, but he got his own abilities alright. He can make friends and create networks almost anywhere in little to no time. I guess that makes him pretty terrifying, if you think about it.”

“That is why I gave him the job to snoop about in the Militia”, Alex pointed out. “Allies are always useful. More even when they were previous enemies that turned to your side because they learnt what kind of shit they did.”

Cole blinked. “You're talking about Cross.”

“And Heller. And you. You're family now.” He paused, brows furrowing. “Don't tell Cross that.”

“I won't. He wouldn't believe me anyways.” Cole scratched the back of his head, eying his phone. “You think Colonel Blackwatch has something?”

“Probably, but he hates being called”, Alex pointed out. “If he has something, he will call you.”

“Okay. What about Dana and Kuo?”

The Runner furrowed his brows. “Call Dana. She's not very good at schmoozing, but very good at locating targets for Kuo. Chances are Dana has something.”

Cole did, picking her number and waiting until she answered.

“ _Hey, good timing”_ , she said in lieu of a greeting. _“I was just about to contact you.”_

Cole blinked, then his eyes narrowed. “You found something?”

“ _More like someone. Jane Bond and I've been trailing through some of the nastier bars in this place, listening for hints of Militia activity.”_ She made a noise at the back of her throat. _“And then finally we had a hit. Some dude was saying something about how his buddy managed to get that one guy Bertrand really wanted to have to talk, and is now blowing his reward on Blackjack and Hookers. We figured there was only one bar that offered both.”_

Cole inhaled sharply, almost able to  _taste_ how close Wolfe was suddenly. “You got him?!”

“ _Kuo suggested we'll follow after him, let him lead us to where they have hidden Wolfe- and then we go in lightning blazing and drag him out. Since people never look up, it'll be up to you to follow after him. He might take notice if the girl he hit on is suddenly trailing after him.”_

“Dana, I could kiss you guys!”

“ _Put a lid on it, I can hear Alex seething.”_

“I'm not seething”, Alex replied with a huff, but he was a lot less tense now. “So we'll what- come over to your place and keep an eye on things?”

“ _Exactly. Get Heller over, if possible. Three hard hitters are better than just two. The place's called 'Penny'. It's in the Smut Triangle, has an neon advertisement in front.”_

“Okay”, Cole confirmed. “Then I'll head over there immediately, look for a roof to lurk on.”

“And I'll go and get Heller”, Alex finished. “We should be there in half an hour, max.”

“ _Thanks, guys. Then I guess Operation Wolfe Hunt is on.”_

“Wolfe Hunt?”

“ _Not my idea. But Kuo was so proud of the pun, I couldn't bear bursting her bubble.”_

The Conduit nodded, more to himself than to Dana because she wouldn't see him anyways. “Okay. Okay. I'll head over. Could you try and get out of the back entrance? Club like that got to have one.”

“ _It has, leading right into a walled-off sort of courtyard. It's for the guys who want to take a smoke undisturbed. It's where I am currently.”_

“We need updates”, Alex pointed out.

“ _You'll get it”_ , Dana's voice became distance briefly, then clear again. _“Ugh. That pickup line was horrid, I'm getting the feeling I have to wash myself. Just hurry.”_ She cut the connection, and Alex immediately rocketed off the roof, vanishing somewhere. Cole didn't waste any time either, darting towards the edge of the building and leaping off himself, hovering across the street and catching a wire there to grind over it.

As it was, the hurry was uncalled for. He found a roof overlooking the courtyard, had waited for Dana to make an appearance. She too had noticed him, casually took out her phone and gave him an update. Nothing had changed at the moment, and it looked like they had to wait. There wasn't much else to be done anyways. When Alex and Heller appeared, Cole already figured that they would be waiting for a while.

* * *

It took them the better of three hours, and the sun already dipped below the horizon again. Cole was bored, his earlier enthusiasm had changed into dull resignation and he was now draped over the divider and listlessly eying the casino's entry.  
Heller and Alex were crouched calmly on the roof like a pair of gargoyles, barely moving and watching every movement down there with military focus, but sadly, they were also about as talkative as mentioned gargoyles.

Cole wished that this dude would just  _hurry up_ , but he also knew that just bursting in and grabbing him off his stool would not only cause a lot of ruckus, but also most likely render the guy unconscious  _and_ inform Bertrand of what they had planned.

They could only strike when they were certain that Wolfe was nearby. Alex had ensured him that, as soon they would be close enough, he would be able to pick up his scent.

But the waiting was grating on his nerves. Right up until his phone beeped. He answered it quickly enough.

“ _Heads up”_ , it was Kuo who spoke. _“He's leaving the table.”_

“ _He got a purple shirt”_ , Dana added. _“Really eye-biting color.”_

“You sure he's the right one?” Heller questioned.

“ _Very”_

“That's good enough for me”, Cole decided. “Okay. We follow until he gets close to a place that smells like Wolfe. Then we'll rise Hell.”

“Good plan”, Alex approved, and there was the distinct glimmer in his eyes that meant he finally got to hunt something. They waited for a moment until a guy in an eye-bleeding purple shirt and ridiculous hat left the building and wandered down the street. He seemed to sway a bit, but not enough to be impaired. Cole and Heller followed him on the street side he was on, Alex took to the other side silently. The guy didn't notice a thing.

Cole still didn't dare using any of his fancier moves, just lunging across gaps and climbing buildings using nothing but his hands and feet. Heller had to help him get across larger distances a few times, since he could jump further without having to rely on lightning to hover.

Supersoldiers, man.   
He couldn't help but feel envious- Heller's physical strength far surpassed his own by leagues, he was both faster in reaction and motion, and less inclined to follow the laws of physics. He bet that even if he tried to zap him, he probably wouldn't take even half the damage that most other guys did.

But Cole had more power. Power enough to give entire cities light- or turn them black. So what if he couldn't stop a bullet with his face? He could cause a lot more chaos should he want to.

And for some reason, that thought made him giddy. He wasn't as vastly overpowered like Alex was, which made him a much more viable threat to the Bertrand's Militia. Which meant it was his job to take care of the redneck hicks- he wasn't going to splatter them on  _accident_ , after all; while the virally enhanced Supersoldiers could deal with the Swamp Beasts. It was a good deal, he figured.

Then his focus shifted back towards their target as he carefully balanced over a long wire, though had to clamp down on the urge to activate his electromagnetism to avoid the tell-tale blue sparks. They followed after the man until he, without knowing he was being followed, went into a tanning salon. At night? In New Marais?

Cole didn't need Alex's sharp growl of “He's here” to figure out that they finally got the place. It made sense- a tanning salon did swallow up immense amounts of electricity, so it was ideal to hide a makeshift laboratory.

“He's going into a tan house on 8th Street”, he muttered into his phone.

“ _It won't be easy getting a vehicle”_ , Kuo replied. _“Militia's got roadblocks all along the canal.”_

“I can take care of them”, Alex declared. “Heller and Cole, you guys break into that building and get Wolfe.”

“ _That would be feasible. However, I have to ask you to wait on my signal”_ , Kuo demanded. 

“You got something planned?” Heller questioned.

“ _Dana did”,_ the agent explained. _“As soon as our target left, we did too and Dana went to a nearby electronics store. The owner seemingly does not support the Militia.”_

“Uh...why?” Cole questioned.

Alex groaned. “She's trying to rig something together. Something that allows her to watch the Militia's communication, right?”

“ _Exactly. She also claimed she would try to cause a little mayhem on them, so I guess she'll try to give false orders to try and split them up.”_

“Dana can _do_ that?!” Cole hissed.

Heller just snorted amused. “You'd be terrified to know what she can do with internet access. A radio network is similar, if a lot less fragile and a little tougher to hack into. But she can do it.”

“ _She said that you'll recognize the signal if you see it”_ , Kuo explained. _“For now, hold tight.”_

That was maybe a bit easier said than done, because Alex was tensing like a hound that found the trail. It was only Heller's metaphorical leash that kept him back.

And then the nearby street lamps all flickered and died. Alex sprang in a blur of red and black, crashing into the street below and slamming bodily into a parked car to send it careening off the street and into the canal. The Militia started yelling and drew their guns, but Alex simply ducked behind his talons to rush the first guy. He didn't use his full strength, Cole realized, but it was still enough to catapult the guy several yards through the air so he cracked against the wall and stayed down. Heller slapped his shoulder, pointing at the amount of guys flooding into the street. Cole nodded mutely and sent out a pulse, realizing that all people were in the process of leaving. Well, almost all, because a hand full remained in the upper levels.

The Conduit braced himself against the roof-mounted AC unit on their roof, attaching himself to its metal skin through magnetism- and charged up for a brief moment. Then he flipped his polarity, launching himself right through the window with the aid of the repulsion. He threw his arms up to protect his face, though the glass still bit into his unprotected forearms. Better them than his face, he figured. Using a shockwave previously would have countered his momentum and a lightning bolt would have been too much of a chance for them to scramble to defenses. So when he smashed through the window, he took about half a dozen guys by surprise.

Before they managed to get their brains together, he had already his Amp drawn and brutally knocked the first two guys out. He whirled around, intend on taking the other four- when his senses cried at him and he dove towards Wolfe instead, ripping him off his feet and getting him away from the wall, seconds before it exploded inwards in a cloud of dust and rubble. Three of the four guys had been too close and were summarily knocked out, the fourth simply made close friends with the opposite wall so hard, he passed out. Heller dropped the limp body from his hold, nonchalantly dusting off his dark shirt.

Something crashed outside, followed by the screams of the Militia, as he and Heller helped the trembling Wolfe down the stairs.

The moment they got outside, a military jeep with Kuo at the wheel stopped in front of the door screeching. Heller yanked the door open and shoved Wolfe inside none too gently, and Cole hopped on the truck bed in the back. The street on the other side was thoroughly dug up, with wrecked cars and unconscious bodies littering the ground.

“There are likely more roadblocks down the street”, Heller mentioned. He whistled. “C'mon Mercer. Let's wreck them!”

Kuo kicked down the accelerator and the jeep lurched to the front with squealing tires. Cole gasped from the sudden motion, though managed to remain upright. Heller and Alex both took the sides, rushing besides the jeep like they were taking a jog and weren't barreling down the street at roughly thirty miles the hour- and gaining in speed.

He felt cold sweat trickle down his back however as they raced along the canal to where he could see another barricade. Something wasn't right, and he just barely managed to activate his magnetism to lift the jeep off the ground, avoiding something racing racing through the floor with so much violence it kicked other cars off balance and crashed them.

Alex made a noise and dove at it, slamming his claw into the ground with enough force to crack it, but the wave of stone and rubble simply changed direction and charged Heller, who easily flipped over it. Kuo swore as Cole dropped the car, making the suspension creak in protest. “Another one like that, MacGrath, and we can walk because the axles broke!”

“Sorry, but what the Hell was that just now?!”

Alex growled and lunged at the thing in the ground again, this time jabbing his claws into the street right in front of it.  
Forcing it to surface so fast, it slammed into him and catapulted him through the air.

For a brief moment, Cole thought of the Swamp Beasts, but only because this thing had a similar armor. Its front body was stronger, however, and its massive forelegs supported a horned head that reminded him of the mixture between a rhino and a beetle.

Lightning started crackling along his arms, but Heller threw his hand out, drawing his attention to several Swamp Beasts crawling from the tunnel the Tunneler Beast had created. “You keep going”, he growled. “Get Wolfe out of here, MacGrath. We'll keep these things busy.”

“And make them dead”, Alex added with a venomous snarl as he wiped black liquid off his jaw.

Cole was about to protest, but then he noticed the armor plates on the big guy, and remembered how little his lightning had done to the normal Swamp Beasts, so he just nodded briefly. “Get us out of here, Kuo!”

“You won't have to tell me twice”, the agent bit out, already slamming her foot back on the accelerator and gaining momentum. One of the Swamp Beasts tried to jump after them, but Heller intercepted it with claws on his own, jabbing them through its chest and just yanking them apart, splitting the thing neatly in the middle. “Go!”

The jeep sped off. Cole grit his teeth against the sudden vertigo, and crouched down a little. They had this under control, he told himself.

* * *

They had this under control, Heller told himself as he pulverized another Swamp Beast. The tunnels underneath them seemed to teem with these fucks, because for every one he smashed, two took its place.

Frankly, he loved it. It had been too long-  _too long_ \- since he could go out fully. 

He spun in place, dragging his claws in a circle around him and gutting four guys at once. More jumped, screeching. He met one in mid-air, brutally tackling it out of the way with his larger momentum and mass while the others collided with each other now that he was gone. Heller flipped over, kicking against the air as he barreled back into the cluster. His talons shredded more things, seconds before another came flying at one on his side and splattered both. Alex snarled fiercly, ducking under a swipe of the Tunneler and jabbing his talons into its side.

Respect where it was due, Heller thought, this thing was probably as tough as a Hunter, because it just reeled back with a shriek, and instantly tried to swipe at its foe. Alex rolled to the side with an expression on his face that was partly exhilaration and partly frustration.

Then Heller had to turn his attention to another cluster of critters charging him. He ducked behind his claws, braced himself when they impacted into him, then threw both hands to the front so sudden he generated a shockwave that knocked them off their weird bug feet.

One leapt at his back, taking him by surprise, and sinking its mandibles into his shoulder. Heller grunted in pain, then reached back and yanked it off him (ripping what felt like a chunk of himself out in the process) to slam it into the ground with enough force to turn it into paste. Hot blood was more or less fountaining from the injury for roughly three seconds, before the virus inside of him started to knit him back together. It hurt like  _Fuck_ , but it only made him feel alive.

He couldn't deny that he missed this. He loved his job and how peaceful it was, but he was a soldier  _and_ a weapon, so idle didn't fit his desires. But right now- right now he could do whatever he wanted. He jumped over another thing rushing him, and felt his claws retreat while his bones creaked and thickened. These creatures were armored, so he needed something to crack armor. When he hit the floor again, his forearms, wrists and fists had grown dramatically, had leeched ridiculous amounts of energy from his system to fuel their transformation. He felt it burn inside his guts, and he  _loved_ it.

He slammed his Hammerfists into the ground, splattering three things with the shockwave alone and throwing the others off balance. He didn't let them recover, swinging the heavy paws at the closest things and crushing their upper bodies in a single blow. Of course, he exchanged power for speed, and he couldn't react quickly enough when another thing leapt on his back and tried to bite him again- though this time it missed his softer human flesh and tried to sink its mandibles into his armored skin, snapping off one of its pincers from the force of impact. Heller snorted and seized it, just clenching his fist and cracking its skull like it was a raw egg.

Then he slammed his fists together to generate another shockwave to get some room to breathe, before he leapt several yards away from the main bulk of the critters. He figured they would need to close up the tunnels to stop them, but for this, they had to stop the big guy.

There was a disgruntled snarl from Alex's side, and Heller grimaced in sympathy. Because the kid's attacks had gotten completely uncoordinated, consisted of just swiping his claws into whatever direction he seemed fit. Maybe he just imagined the drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, but that wouldn't be too far off for how  _rabid_ he was acting.

The Evolved groaned briefly. Now he had to make sure he didn't flip his shit completely- or better,  _more_ than he already did. He was a predator surrounded by prey, and that made him crazy in the head- which meant he had to make them all silent so he could recover.

Heller dove at the first guy, slamming his Hammerfists down into the ground again to kill another bunch of these things, though instantly followed up with an uppercut to a curious one, before he smashed the club-like paws back down again.

He made good process, and Alex did too- ripping and tearing at the big guy and making it stumble and wail. Just then it suddenly surged to the front, its massive jaw closing at a lightning speed and cracked armor as its teeth sunk into Alex's upper arm and crushed his bones. It must have taken him by surprise, because he went rigid for a moment, and the beast just reared back, shaking its head like a dog did when it had a rat in its mouth. Alex hissed and twisted, jabbing his claws into its face to stop it from ripping his arm off, though it already swayed back even before his blow connected.

It screeched around its foe's arm, muscles clenching together so strong that it couldn't get its mouth open again-

Tentacles broke from its skull and armored back. Black tentacles that thrashed across its surface, ate up flesh and bone and fluids at a rapid pace and shattered ground and armor likewise. Alex made a startled noise as the tentacles crashed into his chest and dug in too-

And the Hive Mind  _screamed_ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guess I'm back. Lot of stuff happened-
> 
> Including the death of my dad three weeks before his 61st birthday. Just in the last parts of us relocating he just...suffered a heart attack. Mom and I tried to reanimate, as did the EMTs my sister called, but it was too late already. I don't think I have realized it, since I'm still waiting for him to drop by and tell us a good night, or sit and eat with us, though I know he won't ever come back.
> 
> But I don't want to mourn, because it neither helps any of us nor will it bring him back. I will continue my work here, mostly to try and think of something else. Pretty sure a nervous breakdown is waiting just around the next corner, but until then, I will try to keep things going here- so much is left to do he would have done anyways.
> 
> Call your parents sometimes.


	12. Desperate Times

The surge of pain tore him shrieking from the haze he'd been in. He couldn't remember what had happened, only bits of images, pieces of memories flitting past him. His memories stopped when he watched Cole and the others drive off with the jeep (and he wondered where Kuo got the car from), then more Swamp Beasts had popped up from the ground. It was like...he had experienced that before, had felt the sort of rush already. But the place had been another. Tall buildings around him, men screaming and shooting, and beasts of a whole different make rushing him, trying to kill him. Or just stop him?

It didn't matter. Because the things here were trying to do the same, so he reacted the same way himself. Just tearing at them, ripping them to pieces. He could remember that the big guy was the primary target, but he couldn't recall  _why_ .

He remembered however that he wasn't as indestructible as he should be, and when the thing bit into his arm, he felt a spike of panic jab into his chest, as well as the annoying realization that it should have been the other way round.

But then the thing began screaming in pain, not letting go of him in the process- and darkness started eating away at it. Blacklight, he recognized, recognized the way it ripped apart cells to make more of itself. Infecting at a startling speed, using its victim's body to generate mass- mass that by all rights should have belonged to him.

This, however, this wasn't  _him_ .  _He_ wasn't the one infecting the beast, it was the virus in itself- the virus that instantly latched onto his body as well, attempting to consume him, he realized with a start.  
It...didn't scare him as much as it should have. It intrigued him more- he couldn't infect or shapeshift himself anymore, because what once had been Blacklight was now a poor imitation of a real body. However, as it seemed, his blood apparently had kept its infectious properties- and once it got spread to a fresh host, the virus woke. A fail-safe, of sort?

Alex didn't know, and just grit his teeth instead of struggling to break free as the tentacles bit into his own chest and tried to spread-  
And it remembered. The body it attacked  _was_ Blacklight, only deactivated. Once the new strain made contact with him, a flash-fire of information raced through his system. It was painful, yes, but it also felt  _so good_ . Because he could feel each last cell being infected, being reactivated- and shifting into its original state. Like an old program being installed on a computer to remove the updates that corrupted the data in the first place.  
It was exactly the same, and he felt the tenseness snap just as his temperature lurched upwards and his system remembered it wasn't a living organism, but Blacklight imitating one.

His body bristled all over, turning his insides out for a short second, and the not-flesh trying to feed off him shuddered briefly, before the pain melted away so sudden he actually felt light-headed.

The tentacles thrashed under his skin, connecting to his insides and flooding his awareness with  _information_ . Becoming part of him again, as they had always been.  
What was left of the Tunneler Beast was ensnared and dragged into his form, feeding its mass into him and the satisfaction he felt was overwhelming. The hunger subsided somewhat, but remained as always. There were a lot of the other beasts left, though now the pain was somewhat gone, replaced by irritation that needed to be vented. Alex revealed his teeth in a nightmarish grin as tendrils squirmed over his surface and shifted his skin into armor. The other things were still unaware, and that was how he loved it anyways. He knelt down and jabbed one claw into the ground, shivering at the glorious feeling of stretching himself through the ground. He couldn't hide the maniacal laughter as he wrenched a cluster of Groundspikes out under a group of swamp beasts, utterly shredding them. He heard Heller swear and saw him jump back, though couldn't make out his expression without any eyes to speak of. He just shrugged as he recognized the fist-up gesture the other made, and turned his attention to the next group of creatures, turning one Claw into his Whipfist. Alex briefly charged towards them, then stopped suddenly and let the momentum spin him around, slicing through all the beasts in one swift motion.

The ground split as he dug in his heel to stop his rotation, and he snapped his arm back with a distinct  _crack_ . He shivered slightly when his surface melted and twisted his appearance back into his own, sans additional armor or claws. Smirking, he flexed his fingers, only glancing up as Heller approached him.

“You back then?”

Alex grinned a wide feral and vicious grin. “I'm back.”

* * *

_Ashes and fire and pain and screams everywhere. He tried to whirl, tried to find out what was going on, tried to stop whatever was going on-_

“ _You failed, Cole”, Kessler sneered at him. “You failed again. How many times do you have to fail to realize that you need to be stronger to win?”_

_Cole bristled, trying to face the old man, but he was gone already. “I didn't fail!” He snapped, “I can still turn this around! You hear me?!”_

“ _Turn this around?” The voice was cold. “How? The Beast is coming, Cole, and you just lost your allies. You won't be able to stop it with their help. Others are just a distraction. You need to cut your losses and focus on just the Beast.”_

“ _I won't”, he hissed back, “They are my friends. And they will figure out what can be done.”_

“ _You trust men and creatures that don't understand any of this.”_

“ _Because I don't either!” Cole snapped at him. “All you tell me are more riddles and cryptic remarks! I need answers! But you won't give me any!” He clenched his fists, and lightning started snapping from his skin. “All you tell me is that I have to defeat the Beast, yet you don't tell me how!” He marched towards the old man, eyes blazing. “You tell me you could have beaten the thing, but you don't share it with me!”_

“ _Cole-”_

“ _No! You will listen! I'm fucking tired of this entire mess! All I have done was trying to figure out how to beat it, and you come and tell me I'm weak?!”_

“Cole-”

“ _You were weak!” He snapped at him, “You couldn't protect anybody! And you have no idea either what to do!”_

“Hey, man”

“ _No! Either you tell me how to do this, or you shut the fuck up!”_

“Cole! Wake up, man!”

The Conduit tore himself upwards with a strangled gasp, jerking upwards so fast he collided with somebody leaned over him- only his skull was more durable and less inclined to feel pain than the other's face, so while he sat up, the other sat down with a swear. Wild blue eyes darted from one corner to the other without seeing. He was just vaguely aware of lightning crackling over his skin.

“For God's sake”, another voice barked, “Snap out of it or I make you!” Cole inhaled sharply, squeezing his eyes shut and focusing on his breathing first. Had to slow it down, had to get his pulse under control. Couldn't pay attention to what was around him, though he was pretty sure he wasn't in danger anyways. It took him maybe a minute or two to get himself back under control, at which point he slowly pried his eyes open to take in his surrounding. He was back on the roof, but that had been thrashed a bit. Scorch marks were on the ground where his lightning had struck, and several of their items had been flung around. Zeke was clutching a bloodied handkerchief to his face, Dana was peeking out from behind the AC unit nearby, Cross was crouched besides her, Heller stood above him, glaring, and Alex had his armor up.

Cole blinked at the latter, because that was something his confused brain found most important at the moment. “Oh hey”, he slurred, and his head hurt again. “You got your powers back.”

“I did”, the Runner confirmed with a shrug. His armor melted and settled into his usual appearance.

“Cool. How?” He felt like his head was filled with cotton, so he couldn't recognize what the looks meant that the others sent each other.

Alex arched an eyebrow. “I was bitten by one of the big guys, and that idiot infected himself with me. Turned on me, and switched me back online.”

“Oh, that's nice”, Cole swung his legs over the couch and swayed briefly, putting his head in his hands with a groan when vertigo struck again. And then he noticed that it shouldn't be like that. “Shit, what's going on?”

“We were hoping you could tell us”, Colonel Blackwatch gruffly requested, getting up and pulling Dana to her feet. “The moment I made it to my team, a bunch of these things suddenly jumped from the ground and attacked us. It took us the better of half an hour to pick them all clean, and we only managed to get through when Heller and Mercer appeared- which means we couldn't react when Dana asked for our help.”

Cole groaned, then shook his head. “I don't-” His eyes narrowed. “Where are Kuo and Wolfe?”

“That's it”, Heller growled. “Kuo is gone. No idea where she is.”

He blanched, his brain lurching into clarity. “Bertrand- Bertrand has her”, he gasped. “Wolfe?”

“Dead”, Alex put bluntly. “Shot through the head. No chance recovering any information.”

He felt like somebody had pulled the rug out from under his feet, and Cole buried his head back in his hands. Kessler had been right- he had  _failed_ .

“Man”, Zeke's voice cut into his thoughts. “What happened?”

* * *

Cole didn't feel very good when they left Heller and Alex behind with these...things. Logically speaking, they were the best choice for it- they have been fighting monsters for way longer than he did, and his lightning barely fazed the normal guys anyways. But the big one? Cole was pretty sure he would have needed to throw cars at it until it died.

Still, it sat uncomfortable inside of him- these things had been human at one point, but they weren't anymore because of the power of one Conduit. Sasha had been similar, but even she hadn't been able to twist people so far away from  _human_ .

_Or maybe she would have been able to_ , a voice whispered inside his head,  _if she had survived with her powers intact for longer than a month_ . He felt inclined to agree with that voice, because their current theory was that the Conduit responsible for the Swamp Beasts had been around for  _years_ . He figured that maybe it could be this so-called 'Swamp Witch'. Which meant they had to find this person too to stop the Swamp Beasts from attacking people.

But first things first: Cole knelt down behind the driver's cabin, tapping the glass. Kuo easily slipped it open without taking her attention off the road.

“You okay?” He asked Wolfe, who seemed pretty shaken.

The man shivered, but managed to pull himself together to offer an exhausted smile. “Bertrand's men weren't the most friendly hosts, and you certainly didn't cover yourself in glory either with your rather dramatic rescue operation.” He shrugged, though Cole noticed it looked a little stiff. “I'm not complaining, though.”

“Hold it”, the Conduit demanded, squinting a bit. “Did they hurt you?”

Wolfe squirmed in his seat, acutely aware of the side-glance Kuo gave him. “I wasn't cooperating and his interrogation methods were quite...creative.” He claimed in a tone that told Cole that yes, these assholes did, in fact, hurt Doctor Wolfe.

“I can fix you up”, he offered, though Kuo cut him off before he could extend that offer. “You can do that once we are out of our escape vehicle”, she told him sternly, “Because you keep blowing up cars when sitting inside- against every logic.” She scoffed and made a sharp turn into an alley. “We have to get away first, then we can dump the car.” She was silent for a moment, then glanced at the doctor. “We've seen things that were clearly based on your designs-”

“The bombs, I know”, the man groaned. “They wanted me to spill my guts, but I tried to hold back as much as possible. It is quite disheartening to realize that they managed to manufacture workings bombs basing on Ray Field Energy just from what I told them.”

“So they're not as dumb as we think they are”, Cole mused. “Duly noted then--?” His head snapped to the side, eyes narrowing. Something screamed at the back of his skull, but it weren't more tunneling Swamp Beasts, that much he knew. When he heard the roar of an engine and the jeer of Militia, he slapped his hand on the top of the car. “Put that foot down, Kuo, we're about to get visitors!”

To give her credit, the NSA agent didn't even question it, just ground her foot down on the accelerator to make their truck jump to the front. Just as they shot out from the alley, a truck loaded with four Militia guys nearly cut them, and it was only thanks to Cole's quick reaction that they didn't crash them. Instead, the Conduit swore and flicked his wrists upwards, yanking the car off the ground and tried to flip it over, but one of the guys fired a fucking grenade launcher at them, forcing Cole to stop levitating the car and focus on bouncing the much more dangerous explosive back. He missed the truck however when another collided with theirs and nearly pushed them off the street. “Stealing from the Militia!” A voice yelled from what was clearly a PA system, “That's a hangin' offense in New Marais!”

Cole felt his blood run cold. These assholes actually  _executed_ people?! He gnashed his teeth together, lightning crawling over his form. “I'm going to enjoy hurting you”, he growled, lugging a grenade at the first car. It blew up in a glorious ball of fire as he whirled and took out the second one, picking up his voice. “You hear me, you assholes?! I will make you beg for forgiveness!”

“Cole! Brace yourself!” Kuo snapped, and he only had a split second to electromagnetically anchor himself to the car, before she swerved to the side so violently that half the tires actually left the ground. Squealing, the truck shot down the street, narrowly avoiding clipping another hick truck. He heard Wolfe whimper. “Gods, Lucy, who taught you to drive?”

“Niko Bellic! Now hold on to your breakfast!” She twisted the wheel, spinning the truck around and kicking the accelerator again so it lurched to the front and back the way they've come. The hicks passed them by with confused yells.

Cole grimaced and ducked again, keeping an eye on their pursuers. “That voice”, he pointed out, “That weren't the hicks, was it?”

“No”, Kuo grunted, avoiding another truck by briefly driving on the sidewalk. “Bertrand.”

“Wonderful”

“Where are your friends?” Wolfe questioned, “The two clawed Conduits?”

“No clue”, Cole hissed when he heard the distinct crack of their side mirror snapping off. “I guess they're busy with those Swamp Beasts.” He whirled around and shoved a shockwave into the general direction of their pursuers, bouncing back a few grenades. But he was feeling a little drained. “Kuo! Go along the train tracks! I need some juice!”

“You got it”, the agent acknowledged, changing direction immediately. The tires rumbled when they got on the tracks, and Cole instantly latched onto the overhead wire, feeling relief when his body leeched the energy into him. But to it came dread.

He stopped himself as soon he felt his batteries recharged, and knelt down. “Don't you think it's weird?”

“Weird?” Wolfe questioned. Kuo however set her jaw. “No civilians _anywhere_ ”, she pointed out. “They're all gone.”

His senses screamed in alarm and Cole whirled more out of instinct than actual realization and just fired a shockwave backwards, pushing their car to the front and reflecting a rocket back at the same time. Nearly hitting the semi truck that somehow managed to sneak up on them. His eyes widened at the sight of the additional metal plating that would render this ride immune against his lightning attacks. And shielded its electrical signature somewhat from him too.

They wouldn't be able to fight  _this_ . “The side alleys!” He snapped at Kuo, “We gotta shake this thing, then ditch this car!”

The agent twisted the wheel and raced into the closest alley and out on the other side- but another truck suddenly shot at them, ramming into their vehicle with enormous force. Cole threw a shockwave at it, flipping it over, but another came howling at them. Kuo slammed her foot on the brake, and their car stopped screeching so the other overshot them. At the next moment, she ground her other foot back on the accelerator to get past them while they were still reeling. The engine made an ungodly howl as the car tore down a narrow side street. Another truck tried to intercept them, but Cole bounced it back with another shockwave.

“They know where we are!” He snapped. 

Kuo grit her teeth. “Cole! Keep them off our ass!”

“I'll try, but I don't know how much more juice--” He cut himself off, eyes narrowing. So that was Bertrand's endgame- keep them away from sources of electricity, keep the pressure up and force them to continue running- depleting his internal source of energy until he wouldn't be able to continue fighting. And he couldn't drain from a car battery as long it was still under the hood either- if he tried, he would short it out and lose the charge completely.

But they had other possibilities. He crouched down and switched on his phone. “Dana! If you can do that, try to get these assholes off our tail!”

There was static for a moment, then Dana's voice filtered through.  _“On it. Trying to scramble their GPS tracers.”_

“The GPS in this truck acts both ways”, Wolfe threw in, looking surprisingly pale for a black guy. “It shows the car's own position, but can also be detected with the right equipment.”

“ _What he said. I guess Bertrand has the detection tech on his car- is that a semi?!”_

“It is, and it is armored”, Cole grunted, keeping an eye out for the others. They had two more on their tail at the moment, but Kuo's frantic driving kept them out of their line of sight long enough so they couldn't target them correctly.

“ _Okay...the GPS chip should be...”_ Dana was silent for a brief moment, then she exclaimed a victorious “AH-HAH!” _“Chip is just below the radio. You have to remove it.”_

Cole didn't wait for a reaction, just smashed his fist through the hard plastic and bits of metal, then pulled back and simply yanked the radio out of the dashboard. He threw it into the street with a snort.  _“Good work”_ , Dana confirmed.  _“Your tracer just went dark.”_

“Still, can you please attempt to confuse them?” Kuo demanded in a strained voice. “We'll try to shake them, get into a secure place, and ditch this truck.”

“ _Get to the roofs”_ , Dana suggested. _“I'll contact Cross.”_

“What about Alex or Heller?”

“ _Can't reach either of them. I bet they already broke their phones.”_

“Crap” Cole sent out a pulse, hoping to snatch a glance of their unique energy signatures, but came up empty. He simply didn't have enough range. “Can you try to get back to where they should be at the moment?”

“I can try”, Kuo admitted, “But what about those Swamp Beasts?”

“Will probably be a bit busy”, the Conduit grit his teeth. “Besides, I can beat them if I have to. Better than half the Militia!”

“Roger then-” Kuo cut herself off with a swear, then yanked the wheel around and diving back into another alleyway, knocking trashcans asides. A street barricade had cut them off, one made of concrete blocks. Cole's eyes widened. “Bad choice!” He yelped, “Bad, bad choice!” 

There were too many enemies, and when they slid out around the corner on the other side, he could see tons of hicks sitting on the balconies, all with grenade launchers or rocket launchers or just very big guns.

“I am aware!” Kuo retorted, “But we also can't go back.” Another truck raced after them as if to make a point. Cole groaned. He just had to power through, then. He threw his hand out and grabbed the enemy truck with his magnetic field to lift it off the ground and throw it towards the largest cluster of hicks nearby to scatter them. Kuo ground her heel even deeper into the pedal to try and lure some speed out of their vehicle, though she couldn't go as fast as she wanted because of the narrow streets. She did have some serious driving skills, however, capable of racing through entirely too narrow alleys and gaps, and making hairpin turns that threw their pursuers off their game. In fact, she was so good at it that most of the shots from the hicks went wide or even hit the other pursuers. Cole only needed to employ his powers a little, and only the normal lightning bolts that were his only attacks that didn't seem to drain his reserves in any way. Or, better put, they didn't drain more than his body managed to recover by itself.

It wasn't enough, though. Their truck wouldn't survive any more hits, he realized, as another truck tried to ram into them and only barely hit them- but the momentum of their impact still ripped their vehicle off course and made it slide in nearly a full circle, in which all Kuo could do was grab the wheel and swear profoundly. Cole actually had to tear the damaged hind fender off to prevent it from biting into the tire. So when he spotted another group of hicks, he chucked a lightning grenade at them, then fired three self-targeting balls of lightning on the truck that tried to run them off the street. He tried not to think how it made him feel a little more empty and and a little more thirsty.

He couldn't latch onto the passing street lights at the speed they were going at, and there was no overhead wire here.

“ _I fucked their GPS trackers over”_ , Dana's voice chimed in, _“Half of the guys are confused, but the other half still have you in their sights.”_

“Probably all the explosions around here”, Cole mentioned seconds before he had to bounce another rocket back. “Case in point”, he added when it blew up. He blinked. “Can you make some more?”

“ _I could”_ , came the slow reply, _“But then the city will go dark. And...I don't think New Marais got Substations like Empire had.”_

“Okay, so that's a no-go.”

“ _I can, however, probably fake some calls, try and draw some more of those guys off your ass.”_

“Be careful”

Dana scoffed softly, but didn't dismiss his words.  _“Don't worry. I survived three years after Manhattan with Blackwatch on my ass. I can deal with a bunch of bigoted assholes.”_

“Do you know where Bertrand is?”, Kuo questioned without taking her eyes off the street. Another truck hurtled towards them, but Cole smashed a shockwave into it to completely dent in its front and flip it over on its back.

“ _Currently...heading along the main street, near St. Ignatius.”_

“Good, then we'll head into the other direction. What about Cross?”

“ _I'm afraid you're on your own”_ , Dana commented with what was definitely a groan. _“Because apparently they got a whole bunch of Swamp Beasts up their asses currently.”_

“Shit”

“ _Just get off the street, hunker down, and wait for this to blow.”_

“Will do” Kuo tore the wheel around and raced back into another alley, this time cleanly ripping off the other side mirror. Cole ducked under the low fire escapes and clothes lines, watched how the one truck chasing after them burrowed into the alley wall and got stuck. Hah, that way's secure then- but the front wasn't. The Conduit grit his teeth, focusing his power. “When we get out”, he hissed at the agent, “Turn left. There's a barricade made of several cars and hicks.” He sent out another pulse, and once it came back to him, he grunted once. “No other guys far I can tell after that.”

“You can take them?”

“No problem.” Kuo nodded and just inhaled once, then lifted her foot off the gas pedal, kicked the brake and twisted the wheel the very moment they left the alley. The momentum squished Cole's organs into his ribs, but he managed to remain stable and fired the shockwave to the front with both hands to send the trucks and men flying like they were toys. In the same moment, the agent ground back down on the accelerator and the truck jumped to the front, racing out under the mess and roaring along the street. The cars hit the ground behind them with loud crashs.

As they were shooting down the street and towards the blocked bridge, at which point Kuo roughly twisted the wheel and turned right, Cole finally felt himself relax. He felt sore and tired, but there wasn't anybody after them anymore. Kuo slowed down their breakneck speed too, so he didn't need to anchor himself anymore. “Okay Wolfe”, the Conduit began, “These guys just put a lot effort into making you dead.” And they did. These blows- they hadn't been there to stop them. They had been there to  _kill_ . “What is it they don't want you talking about?”

Wolfe sighed. “Bertrand had funded me to make something for him”, he admitted, “A device that would solve both our problems. The Blast Cores were part of it.”

“ _Guys!”_ Dana's voice suddenly cut in frantically _, “I just found out that Bertrand's own tracker was not inside his truck! I repeat: His truck is fucking invis-”_

Cole didn't hear much more over the alarming screech inside his head, over the roar of blood and the unholy crunch as their vehicle collided with the massive armored semi truck that simply plowed through a previously view-obstructing billboard.

He felt his body being flung through the air, and he hit the floor with enormous force so he flipped and rolled and scraped over the rough ground. He couldn't  _think_ , couldn't breathe anymore, could just lie there as his body was set on fire. Internal? Or external? He couldn't tell, but his brain began screaming in raw animal panic. Cole tried to struggle to his feet, but his legs weren't working and his head wasn't right, and there were voices and people and he had to get away-

He didn't know how he managed, but he somehow dragged himself towards a storm drain, at which point his brain cleared enough so he could turn back and just watch how several Militia mercs pulled a slim tiny form from the wrecked truck. He saw a flash of fire, and a deafening crack afterwards, and the men abandoned the wreckage, now actively looking for him.

But they didn't find him. Cole gasped and heaved the ruins of his own body further into the wet and dark pipe, before his strength left him and he curled himself up, shivering weakly. He couldn't run anymore, couldn't fight, and fire and darkness swallowed him whole.

* * *

Heller grunted under his breath. His body was yelling at him for relief, for nourishment, for  _anything_ to take the edge off- and all he did was push himself further, relishing in the glorious chaos of  _battle_ again.

They had finished with the Tunneler beast, but more Swamp Beasts started appearing all over the city. He had smelled them, and was forced to split with Mercer to go after them. He didn't find it in himself to be annoyed about it. If anything, he could do this shit on his own terms now. Since Mercer had the full extent of his powers back, he also had full control over his Devastators and consuming, so he would be stealing his kills anyways- and Heller needed an outlet for his frustrations  _so bad_ . 

The explosions he could hear worried the Evolved, but he never managed to take a look because these fucks crawled from every hole and every crevice and tried to maul him. His shirt was already in tatters from the things' claws, his body was bloodied from both his own blood and the creatures', and his muscles were getting sore.

He loved every moment of it.

Even as the last Swamp Beast collapsed, he could already hear and smell a new pack, so he made his way over there, finding four more critters closing in on a small group of civilians. Heller barreled into them, and took off the head of the first beast with freshly formed claws. The others whirled and screeched at him, he ducked under a wide swing and gutted the next, kicked the third and used his momentum to slam the fourth into the ground hard enough to snap its spine. The third tried to get up, so he just marched over and stomped down on its chest to kill it.

Heller huffed out and dropped his arms, turning to look at the few civilians with a frown. They have been the first guys he'd seen so far, and that confused him. “Mind telling me where anybody else is?”

The people flinched, eyes widening as if they couldn't believe that he was  _speaking_ to them. He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I can talk. No, I am not one of these things. But I got questions and I'd like them answered.”

The civilians glanced at each other, then the apparent leader spoke up. “Bertrand's told us to stay inside tonight. But ah...”

“You decided to screw it and still went out?”

“Yeah, exactly, man.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Which put us in a bad place.”

“You better get off the street and back into safety”, Heller told them, “Because I can smell a few more of these things coming over here now.”

“Yeah man, I feel you.” The man motioned for his crowd to follow him as they got off the street. Heller snorted, briefly considering whether to get back to the east part of the city and look what in the blazes caused that ruckus over there, but then he heard a snarl and just turned, facing another Tunneler that was peeking around a corner.

And that wasn't right. Heller's eyes narrowed as the thing snarled again and ran off. Baiting him. But he knew he didn't have a choice in the matter- if he didn't follow it and stop it, it was entirely possible that it and its kin could hurt or kill civilians.

“Fuck this”, he charged after the thing, spreading his focus to the Hive Mind at the same time. It was a little painful at first, comparable to someone with hearing loss visiting a heavy metal concert and suddenly regaining his ability to hear.

“You already noticed how these pieces of shit are drawing us away?” Technically, he didn't need to speak out loud, but it helped him to focus.

“ _I did”_ , was Mercer's reply inside his head, and he didn't even question what he meant. _“They want us somewhere else.”_

“You noticed the direction we're going?”

“ _I assume it's towards the military compounds?”_

“Yup. They're trying to take Cross by surprise.”

“ _Well, joke's on them, then. I know I wouldn't want to go against Cross on a bad day.”_

“Still, it would be nice to help him, wouldn't it?”

“ _Probably. I can't help but feel concerned. This is not normal infected behavior. The Swamp Beasts should be similar- why are they drawing us away? From who?”_

“MacGrath and Wolfe.” Heller grit his teeth. “Shit, we have to do something.”

“ _Yes, get to Cross, murder these things as fast as possible, and then try and relocate Cole. Only chance I see.”_

“On it”

Heller snorted and picked up his speed, barreling down the street at top speed. Which was fast enough to catch up to a car on the freeway, and certainly fast enough to cross the entire city and follow the track of Swamp Beasts to the airfield where Cross and his team were.

They looked a bit like they've been taken by surprise, but were dealing with a massive swarm of Swamp Beasts well enough on their own. Heller spotted Grayson wrestling one of at least four more Tunnelers, and he noticed one creature lurking nearby. It resembled a Tunneler, but was larger with a darker coloration. Heller grimaced when he noticed Mercer approach too, and  _fast_ \- and several hundred feet off the ground too. How the Hell he managed to get up there was forever going to be a secret, but he knew exactly what was to be expected.

He lunged at the D-Code and the Tunneler, jabbing his claws through the thing's head and nearly ripping it off before he spun around and grabbed Grayson to bodily drag him away.

“Fucking HADES?!” The D-Code snapped, “What the-?!”

“You're going to thank me”, the Evolved snapped back, dragging the man towards the bewildered looking Wisemen. “Now get down!”

Cross must have spotted the tell-tale glow of Mercer's biolumniscent spot from down here, because he seemed to blanch a little, then focused on backing his team up so they could retreat.

The next second, Mercer thrust his body downwards like a missile. Heller swore under his breath the moment the Runner impacted into the floor with the force of a warhead, splattering several Swamp Beasts on impact.

He  _felt_ the agony rip through the Hive Mind, pain born from too densely packed Biomass far beyond what Blacklight was comfortable with, and Heller subconsciously brought himself between the Wisemen and the cluster of rubble, dust and Swamp Beasts. 

Then Mercer  _exploded_ into every direction, turning into spear-like tentacles that burrowed through and impaled every last Swamp Beast nearby. Only the Tunneler-like-beast managed to get away, was more or less staring in shock- until the tendrils snapped back to their center and Mercer darted out of the cloud of dust and rubble to slam bodily into the thing. 

It twisted and screeched, and he flipped over its shoulder to sink his Blade so deep into its back the tip ripped out of the thing's sternum. He grinned and yanked it out downwards, splitting the thing open from its chest to its hips. Before it fell, however, black tendrils ensnared its body and tore it apart, leeching its mass into Mercer's.

There was a thoughtful expression on his face the moment the tentacles settled back into his form and his feet hit the ground with a solid  _crack_ .

Cross was the first to speak. “Anything?”

“As expected, pieces of memories. Nothing solid, all scrambled to Hell and back.” Mercer cocked his head. “But they really have been human before.”

“Shit”, Santos growled. “We got a Runner?”

“A Conduit”, Cross corrected, “But one acting like a Runner. Similar to the big guy.”

“But not the same”, Heller threw in. “The Beast...where is it anyways?”

“Currently near Savannah”, MacAlistair commented. He furrowed his brows. “But this guy must have been around for longer, had it? Because it would have been too obvious when suddenly thousands of people disappeared over a short period of time.”

“We think it's been a few years ago”, Heller told him. “Back then a Ray Sphere went up here, and Ray Spheres are what makes people into Conduits.”

Cross was rubbing his chin, absent-mindedly prodding a piece of Swamp Beast on the ground with the toe of his boot. “This attack, and the attack yesterday, were coordinated.” He eyed Mercer. “Anything on the Hive Mind?”

The Runner shook his head. “There is  _something_ , but the sender is currently off-line, so to speak.”

“No feedback?”

“Not in this case”, Mercer frowned a little. “Redlight was a lot like a military unit. Constant feedback from the field, with Greene being the central hub and command center, coordinating the attacks. That's why everything went to shit the moment she died. This here is...strictly one-way. There is a leader, but none of the Corrupted are capable of communicating with them. All they do is follow orders. There is feedback missing, so all they do is what they are told to do. Not attacking the Militia with full force, for example.”

Heller arched one eyebrow. “'Corrupted'?”

“Their leader calls them that, that they know.”

“But the Militia's in it”, Jackson scoffed. “Which means _Bertrand_ is in on it.” He glanced at Cross. “Sir, what are your orders?”

“Keep the Corrupted away from the civilians”, Cross replied. “I don't know whether Bertrand suspects, but you need to keep your ear as close as possible to the ground. If anything acts up, you are free to disobey any order he might issue."

“Sir”

Heller flinched slightly at the sudden shriek of Cross's phone. The Colonel just arched an eyebrow and pulled it from his pocket, glancing at it for a moment to verify the caller ID, then answered it.

“Cross here”

“ _Thank Fuck!”_ Dana's voice sounded pretty worked up, close to hysterics.

“Dana, what's the problem?”

“ _The problem is I lost contact with Cole and Agent Kuo!”_ The young woman cursed briefly under her breath. _“They got themselves into some situation, running away from a whole lot of Militia fucks while Alex and James were distracted-”_

“Too many Swamp Beasts”, Mercer cut in, eyes narrow. “Dana- what happened?”

There was a shaky exhale.  _“Cole and Kuo were to take Wolfe to safety, but there was Militia everywhere- I know they got clear though, only then they suddenly weren't-”_ She cut herself off for a brief moment.  _“I don't know what the Fuck went down, okay? Bertrand must have noticed me listening in and ordered a total radio stop, probably switched frequencies. I got nothing here, no chatter, no conversation- it's all dead, and now Cole doesn't answer his phone either.”_

“You got a last position?” Heller cut in.

“ _Yeah, corner Church Street and North Canal.”_

Mercer just snarled and instantly raced off. Heller swore and dashed after him a second later, catching up to the Runner within a few steps, who was already leaping clear over the chain link fence of the air field.

“Just, what the Fuck, man?!” He snapped the moment he got close enough.

“It was all a distraction!” Mercer hissed. “One we couldn't ignore because these things are a viable threat.”

“I got that”, Heller huffed out, trying to ignore the burn in his stomach.

“This hatred against Conduits is all an act”, Mercer snarled as he catapulted himself straight into the air, Heller following after him. “He's planning something.”

“You got an idea what?”

“Best guess? Weapons!”

That made sense, Heller had to admit, because they have found technology linked to Ray Field energy that was already employed as weapon. From what he knew from Empire, this Moya woman also attempted to utilize the Conduits themselves as soldiers. Bertrand- Bertrand was a business man. Heller could imagine him trying to use Conduits as means to increase his wealth and power.

After all, that had always been the whole reason for war.

He turned his attention down towards the streets, watching a few Militia trucks pass along the streets below, but he couldn't pick up anything from their chatter. Mercer growled in his throat once, then turned his focus to the sprawling city of New Marais. The wind turned in that moment, bringing with it the acrid stench of leaking gasoline, burnt rubber and hot metal- and it originated approximately from the area Dana had lost contact in.

Even at a distance, Heller could read what happened in the streets- a shattered billboard, tire tracks too large to be from a normal car, bits of metal and plastic scattered about, the gravel on the shore line dug up.

He made a noise when he discovered the turned over jeep in the canal. From the tracks on the street he could say with some certainty that, after crashing into it with a larger vehicle, likely a semi truck, the car then was rammed into from the side to knock it clean off the street and into the shallow water.

He could smell blood, so he made a straight line towards it immediately, crouching down besides it. “Ah, fuck.”

Mercer appeared besides him, eyes narrow. “Wolfe”, he rumbled.

“Yeah, no chance there.” Heller narrowed his eyes as he took in the scene. The late doctor was still buckled up, hanging upside-down. Fractures on his face and upper body spoke from a violent collision, one that would have rendered him badly hurt or dead anyways. But somebody had tried to be certain, because there was a hole in the man's head and sticky matter sprayed across the surface besides it.

“Shit”, the Evolved growled. “Ran over and shot through the head.” He cut himself off, brows furrowing. “That doesn't make any sense.” He eyed Mercer. “If they need him, why kill him?”

“Possible that Bertrand figured it wasn't worth the risk”, the Runner replied, eyes searching the stretch of shore line. “Or he already got everything what he wanted and tried to prevent someone from finding out what it was- or to prevent from somebody else having the same thing. Like those Chinese architects that constructed the Hall of Supreme Harmony- and got summarily executed so they wouldn't tell anybody how they did it.”

“Fuck”, Heller grunted, climbing back to his feet. “We gotta call this in. You said the cops don't see eye-to-eye with Bertrand either.”

“And tell them what? That Bertrand killed Doctor Wolfe?”

“Not yet. Just tell them about the accident so they'll come and pick Wolfe up. We can't keep a body with us.” He paused, “On that note, you've seen Kuo or MacGrath?”

“Kuo's trail gets lost somewhere over there”, Mercer waved vaguely his hand towards the street. “But Cole...” He abruptly turned around and walked over to the storm drain that poked out from beneath the street.

Heller trailed after him, quickly noticing the metallic smell of blood that seeped out of the pipe. Mercer picked up his pace a little, peeking into the drain. He let out a low rumble which probably was an exhale of relief, then climbed in. Heller didn't bother doing the same, just arching an eyebrow as he cocked his head.

The Conduit was lying on his side with his back to the opening, curled up and shaking slightly. He didn't react, however, even as the Runner carefully reached out to shake him, then scooped him up. “He's not looking too hot”, he grumbled.

“Yeah, like he's been in a car accident.” The Evolved cocked his head. “And now?”

“Now we'll go back and gather whoever's left back together”, Mercer decided. “Cole will heal, and once he wakes up, he can probably shed some light on what happened.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the only time I ever get to write a car chase scene.
> 
> Also, unlike Alex, who survives impact damage simply because he is made of unspecialized cells and as such, has no real system that can get hurt, Heller and Cole are both perfectly human. Both can get knocked out if the kinetic forces are strong enough and/or they have been weakened previously. The more you know.
> 
> I'd like to thank everybody for sending their condolences.


	13. Back in the Saddle

Cole just sat on the couch with his head in his hands. The Militia got Kuo, and Wolfe was dead. “Shit.”

Dana grimaced, squirming a bit in the seat next to him as she worked on her laptop. Trying to decrypt the data they had taken off the messenger pigeons. “It's my fault too, you know? I hadn't realized that Bertrand's truck didn't have its GPS chip inside anymore. And then all the Swamp Beasts popping up and just taking all our heavy hitter's attention-”

The Conduit exhaled. “We completely underestimated these bastards.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “We're losing on all sides”, he admitted.

Dana snorted. “We don't”, she told him. “You are still here, we have the RFI and we know we need the Blast Cores to make it work.” She gestured over to where Alex was bent over the mentioned orb, frowning as he tapped and prodded the thing and looked at a laptop on the folding table. “Alex is trying to figure this thing out. I'm trying to crack the code. And we have Heller and Cross.”

Cole hadn't seen either of them since they left some time ago. “What about them?”

“Well apparently, Cross had enough of Bertrand thinking he had military jurisdiction. He had his boss get him a military transport and marched right in as Colonel of Blackwatch, declaring New Marais now their playground since, you know, we got some form of infected monster roaming around. He figured they got better chances like that.” She snorted. “Heller accompanied him as his personal aide, and according to him, Bertrand is not amused.”

“Does that mean we're getting these hicks off our asses now?” He wasn't sure whether he liked it- the Militia didn't deserve getting off easy.

“Not yet”, Alex threw in without looking up. “Martial Law still goes and the Militia applies for all necessary points. Plus, it's only the Wisemen and they are a small squad. They don't even get the fun toys. But now we can react much faster should the need arise.”

“There are some choppers too just outside the city limits”, Dana added. “Tanks are a no-go though.”

Cole grit his teeth. “And how does this help us find Kuo?!” It was his fault she was gone, and he knew damn fucking well that these fascists weren't opposed to torture and murder. Maybe even more. And Kuo had always been a thorn in that asshole's side. Now she was in his hands and defenseless- he didn't want to think about it.

Dana fell silent with a huff, watching him. “I'm not trying to brush her off, if that is what you think. She's our friend, had helped us a lot during these past weeks- but you can't lose sight of what is important.” She pointed at him. “ _You_ . You are important, Cole, because none of us can use the RFI and stand up to the Beast. Promise me that you won't do anything rash, and whenever you feel overwhelmed, call for backup.”

The Conduit clenched his teeth so hard it hurt. He hated being the one who everyone depended on, hated that his life was more important than the others'- but he also knew he couldn't deny her request. He exhaled coldly, forcing the anger back inside. “Deal”, he ground out.

“Cool”, Dana beamed at him. “The next time try to mask your pissed off attitude, please.”

Cole grumbled under his breath, then turned his head slightly when Zeke clambered up on the roof.

“Hey man, you calmed down somewhat?”

“Not really. But I'm not going to go on a killing spree, if that is what you think.”

“Good, 'cuz I think I got some good news for you.”

“If you have an idea how to get Blast Cores, I'm all ears”, the Conduit grumbled. “Because without them, the RFI's just a paperweight.”

Zeke shook his head gently. “Don't worry man, I'll figure something out.” Then he pushed out his chest. “But I heard some rumors, man. Maybe you should check them out?”

“And what are rumors supposed to do?”

“I think I found Kuo.”

Cole blinked, looking briefly back to Alex and Dana, who were both glancing into their direction with a surprised expression. He turned back to his friend. “Hold it. Did you just say 'You found Kuo'?”

Zeke grimaced briefly. “Well, it's more of 'I  _possibly_ found Kuo'.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It's mostly rumors right now, but they are some pretty heavy clues that it might be something real.”

Cole felt his heart skip. “Speak”

“Heard that a gal escaped the lynch mob”, Zeke told him. “Not even an hour ago. Track seems to lead over into the swamp”, he motioned for the thicket just visible across the block. “There are some shacks where people made their moonshine back in the bootleggin' days.”

“It would be ideal”, Cole noticed. “I mean, she's clever enough to get out if things get bad. And she would be able to give those idiots the slip, right?”

“Exactly”

He didn't need long to decide. “I'll check it out”, he declared. “Good work, Zeke.”

“Anythin' for you, brother.”

Cole turned to the siblings. “Either of you want to come along?”

“I'm comfortable here”, Dana claimed. “And those decryptions won't do themselves.”

Alex was frowning for a moment, then shook his head. “You need to vent. Go and take a look, I'll stay here for now.”

Cole was grateful for this little alone time. He really needed it. “Thanks, man.” Without wasting another moment, he jumped off the roof.

“Take care you don't fall in the water and drown”, Dana called after him. “And look out for gators!”

“Love you too”, he yelled back, already hovering across the street. The daylight would hide the blue flashes of his lightning well enough, he knew, at least in the crowded parts of the city. Once he reached the bog, it would be a different story.

He was aware that it was just a rumor, basically  _any_ female person could be the 'gal' Zeke mentioned, but he needed to  _know_ . If it was Kuo, she probably needed help. That car crash couldn't have been good for her, even if it was hours after that collision. He hoped it wouldn't be too late, or that he would find at least something of Kuo, something that told him she was still alive.

He leapt off that last building and hit the street with a heavy thud and a powerful discharge, startling a few of the civilians around- though obviously not all of them as he did notice a few draw their cell phones and hold it up to take pictures or video clips of him. Huh, wasn't he supposed to be the bad guy everybody was scared of?  
Or not, he figured, since he and Alex had spent a lot of time running about the city punching assholes and helping the normal folks. So maybe he had a repeat of Empire here, where people started looking up to him. It twisted something in his chest and he wasn't sure whether it was a good twist, or a bad twist.

Regardless, he didn't have time to stop and chat, so he just turned left and ducked into an alleyway and made his way to where the swamp met the city. At one of the light houses, he met the other side of the people, the real dumbasses that hung off Bertrand's lips at every word and declared him 'crap'. He just rolled his eyes, zapped one of their protest banners for shit and giggles, and rushed past them as they leapt out of the way yelping. Then he jumped over the railing that prevented people from falling off the sidewalk and into the swamp a few feet lower.

His feet hit the soft and spongy ground, and he nearly overbalanced. Soft ground wasn't something he was used to, but he found the air to be a lot different than in the city. Somehow, it made him feel a little calmer as he dashed into the tree line and leapt clear over a fallen cypress tree. There were birds tweeting, and the sun was shining. For a brief moment, he thought that here, he could forget his worries for a little while.

But he had a mission. No distraction, especially not when every step here could end with him stumbling into the bog.

Cole jumped over a few ancient boats that definitely had seen better days, then hurried along a rickety walkway made of rotten wood. He could already see one shack peek out through the trees. While it was too close to the city, he wouldn't put it past Kuo to hide nearby. Either because she was too badly hurt, or because she figured that Bertrand's men would never be looking for her there. He reached it, checked the outside for anything out of the ordinary, lifted a turned-over boat to peek beneath it, prodded the old lobster cages and swimmers, then went to the door. It was unlocked, and he easily slid it open, an excuse on his lips to tell the home owners, but the place was deserted. He poked around for a while longer, then headed back outside once he was certain nobody was around.  _First place nada. Let's just keep looking._

Cole shrugged and made his way deeper into the bayou.

-o-

Alex made a noise in his throat and put the outer covering back on the RFI. He had just taken it off to get a better look at the insides, but hadn't touched anything else, so the thing was still working. Thank God Wolfe preferred to build his technology in a way that allowed for it to be easily dismantled and put back together.

“Anything?” Dana asked as he set the orb down.

“Not sure yet. I think I understand the concept behind it, though not sure what it is supposed to do”, he admitted. “It looks pretty prototypical. Like Wolfe just started building something with only a vague idea of its purpose.” He glanced at her. “What about you?”

“Nothing so far. Program's still running.” She looked around. “Where's Zeke?”

“I asked him to get more information”, he told her. “Well, technically, it had been his idea to infiltrate the Militia's ranks, but I kind of encouraged him?”

“Isn't that very dangerous?”

“They're not going to expect it. And Dunbar got some serious infiltration skills. He can make contacts nearly everywhere.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But I guess I could take a look too. I want to explore the city on my own, get a few information too.” He had a way better ability to infiltrate, after all. And these hicks already proved to be regret-free snack material.

“I won't tell you no”, Dana commented. “These guys have it coming, after all.” She crossed her arms and glanced at him. “But you might want to rethink your outfit.”

Alex paused, inclining his head. “Something wrong?”

“South of Cairo, man, and we got humidity so thick you can cut the air with a knife. And you wear like forty layers.”

“I'm not wearing anything”, the Runner felt complied to point out. His 'clothes' were in reality just skin that looked that way.

“Yeah, yeah”, Dana waved him off. “You're naked the entire time. I know. What I meant to say is that all of us are wearing lighter. Unless you're one of the hicks or military dudes like Cross and Heller, you should look more appropriate. Lose the jacket and the hoodie, for instance. You can keep the shirt, I guess.” Then she shook her head. “Nah, lose the shirt too, or else you'd look too much like a businessman out to lunch. We're trying to fit in with a bunch of college students and party animals, you know?”

“I guess.” He could see the appeal. Even in Manhattan his hood-and-leather-combination had been obvious to Blackwatch. Here, the Militia would probably look for this description too. Especially considering he was in that getup when he took care of the assholes in that plantation building and later at the assembly. It would be easier to sneak up on a guy if he didn't look like he was going to maul him any given moment.

Alex exhaled and briefly adjusted his surface. Removing the hood and letting his hair see the light of day, absorbing the matter that made up shirt, leather jacket and hoodie, replacing it for something that looked like a black cotton t-shirt, but was as much Blacklight as the rest of him. “Better?”

Dana arched an eyebrow at the band logo on his chest. “Rammstein?”

Alex shrugged. “You said 'blend in'. I'm doing that.” He would deny liking any type of bands or music to the end of days, but both of them were perfectly aware that he had favorites, so his choice wasn't coincidental. Dana knew, and suffered in silence.

“You going to be okay?” He asked with a worried tone. “Because none of us will be nearby to help you should something happen.”

“You take a phone”, she replied easily, dropping one into his hands, “And keep your ass hidden as long you are in a closer vicinity.”

Like Manhattan then. Though they didn't have an Infection here, or people who knew their relationship anyways, so it was a little bit easier. “Call me if you need anything”, he said, shoving the phone right into his own chest cavity with a grimace from her.

“Will do. Now, go and have fun.”

A brief grin flashed over his face, all teeth and scary as fuck. “I'm going to.”

* * *

Cole was not satisfied. He had spent the last hour or so trailing through the bog and looking through various shacks, but he didn't find even the breathe of a hint that  _anybody_ had been nearby for the last days or even weeks.  
And, to make matters more frustrating, he also encountered opposition. A few Corrupted of a type he hadn't seen before- the guys resembled the first things he'd seen a little, but they walked on four stick-like legs and their heads were green bubbles that exploded and killed them if they got too close. Cole figured that zapping them worked too, as did simply luring them out from under the trees.

Corrupted didn't like sunlight.  _At all_ . They suffered from an extreme version of sun burn, or something, because the moment they left the cover of the trees, they burnt and fizzled and died very fast.

After them, hicks. They had installed some small camps complete with generators in the swamp, from where they sent out patrols to look for something. Or someone? Probably the missing NSA agent. Kuo. His heart skipped again, and he hoped he would find her before these idiots did.

Though he did take his time dismantling their base and men, as they were  _perfect_ to vent his frustration, and the Conduit relished in this task. Though, unlike Alex, he didn't kill them. He hated them, more than anything currently, but killing them was a bit too much for him. They were still just people- idiotic morons that had a lot to answer for- but they didn't get to have the easy way out. 

He still crippled them, broke legs and arms in a way that they hopefully wouldn't heal without causing chronic pain. Injured guys needed more supplies, after all. Was a much more devastating blow to these guys than taking them out of the equation would. Not to mention that they had the hots for the whole martyr shtick- dying in service to their leader, only that their enemy denied them that.

After the hicks came more Corrupted, after the Corrupted hicks again. Their theory that they worked together began to become more solid- the men to look for Kuo, the beasts to cage her in and keep him out.

Not that he had a chance to even get close- he kept running circles through the bayou, not even knowing where to look next. The massive explosion in the middle of the swamp seemed like a very large and very obvious sign. His heart dropped, because a blast  _that_ size would be lethal even to him- but if Kuo was still hurt from the car crash, she wouldn't have the whisper of a chance of survival.

He immediately rushed into the direction, jumping over fallen trees and racing along the soft and muddy ground, nearly slipping a few times from the combination of his momentum and rotten footing. The air was thick with black powder smoke and the acrid stench took his breath. Cole didn't stop however, but maybe should have looked out because he nearly stumbled over a body on the ground. He swore his heart stopped there, right until he took a single look. A Militia idiot, very much dead.

Probably ran into his own buddy's blast radius, or something.

But as he moved further into the smog, he realized that there wasn't a single one left alive. All of them had been burnt. Badly. Something crawled at the back of his neck, but he still moved further to look. Destroyed equipment everywhere, bodies, weapons.

Then there was a sound like the hiss of a steam engine, and Cole turned suspiciously, half-expecting another Corrupted. Instead...smoke? It was thinning already, but there was no source of fire, and the fog was starting to lift too.

It hissed again, and he turned around faster, seeing a shape crouched over one of the bodies. “Kuo?” The form stiffened, then suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke and Cole's eyebrows shot up. A  _Conduit_ ?!

There was a snarl just behind him, and he whirled, only to inhale another wisp of smoke that nearly made him cough. Whatever it was, it became  _faster_ . Embers erupting for a split second before they dissipated into thin trails of black smoke again. His radar proved to be useless, the shape disappearing before he got a good reading on it anyways- and he couldn't even tell where it was currently-

Something collided with him with enough force to knock him clean off his feet and made him smack into the soft ground several feet away. The shape suddenly solidified right above him and all he could see was a fist wreathed in flames shooting towards his head. Out of instinct, he yanked his own lightning-clad arm upwards, whether to attack or defend himself he didn't know, but the blow suddenly stopped and his attacker leapt upwards, eyes blown wide.

“De Demon?!”

Cole growled and sat up, sparks dancing over his skin, even as the other backed away several steps. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Cole MacGrat'”, the other Conduit spoke suddenly. “Am a fan”

He blinked, head inclined to the side. The other Conduit, the one still giving off small embers and smoke, was female, younger than him, probably Dana's age. Shorter than him too, with tattoo-covered dark skin, and dark red eyes. She was wearing tight leather pants, combat boots, and a revealing top of sorts made of more leather. She had some form of jewelry on her, bracelets, and some coins attached to her belts and boots and wristband. Her hair was long, twisted into dreads, and highlighted with red bands. The fingers of her left hand were covered with jewelry formed like claws, and Cole's eyes instantly snapped to the shard-shaped glowing object clenched between them.

A Blast Core.

He looked at her again, and nothing in her posture told him she was going to attack him anytime soon. He exhaled, then pointed at the Blast Core. “Where did you get that?”

She arched one eyebrow, looked at the Core, then him. “Off one of dese fools”, she told him with a grin, motioning to the bodies surrounding them. “Tougt it was kind of pretty.” She cocked her head. “Wy, ya like pretty?”

“Yeah”, Cole approached her, stretching his hand towards it, but the Conduit backed off, wagging her finger at him.

“Is all ya's”, she told him, “All ya gotta do is help mah break a few crackers.”

He frowned, a question tickling the back of his mind. “You're the Swamp Witch?”

She seemed amused. “Dey call mah dat”, she confirmed. “Wy ya ask?”

“Just to figure something out.” He crossed his arms. “Because my friends and I thought you were working with the Militia?”

The other Conduit barked a short laughter. “Dese fools ain' mah frends.” Then she spat on the ground. “ _Le con_ , all of dem.”

“That puts one theory to rest then.” He looked at the bodies. “Why need my help, though? You're not exactly a damsel in distress.”

She grinned a Cheshire grin at him again. “It ain' 'bout needin' help. Jus' wan' a little c'mpany.” She made a little mock-bow. “Mah name's Nix.”

Cole furrowed his brows. She had the Blast Core and was obviously willing to hand it over, if he helped her beat up some more Militia dudes- the same guys he was going to beat up anyways. Frankly, they were made for each other. He snorted. “Alright, Nix. Lead the way.”

“A'rigt” She echoed, still grinning, then turned around, took a step, and vanished in a cloud of ember and smoke.

Cole blinked, shaking his head. “Now that I can't do.” Nix must have heard it, because she re-appeared from another cloud of smoke several yards towards an ancient-looking dock, gesturing with her free hand. “Dere's a Militia Lynch Mob dis way!” Cole instantly started running, only for her to appear right besides him, easily keeping up with him. “Shake a leg, slowpoke!”

“I can't teleport!”, Cole bit back, leaping clear over a collection of moored half-rotten boats. “You are just too fast!”

The woman chuckled, teleporting to another part of the dock. “Neva tougt a'd be runnin' wit' de Demon!”

“Yeah, hold that thought, feeling kind of faint here”, He stopped briefly next to a running generator set up by the Militia to drain it, Nix watching him with an arched eyebrow. He stopped as soon he wasn't feeling as thirsty from his trek around the swamp anymore. “Okay, we can go.”

“Ya gotta make a few more stops?”

“Depends”, he shrugged, “On how many guys I'm going to fry.”

She beamed at him. “We gonna 'aff some fun, Cole.” She teleported again, though he noticed the edges of the smoke pointing in the direction she was going to appear again. So she wasn't teleporting, just moving really fast from one point to the other, much like Kessler.

Didn't matter, because her enthusiasm was kind of contagious, and he found himself grinning along with her as they raced towards the edge of the city again. Nix reappeared besides him, patted his shoulder and pointed at a small group of hicks who stood besides a small dry dock. “Watch an' learn, Demon.” She disappeared again, only to materialize herself in front of the guys with a wide grin. Before the men could react, she stomped the floor hard. From her heel, a black, tar-like substance lashed from the ground and lunged like a living thing at the guys, instantly enveloping them and immobilizing them.

Cole inhaled sharply, eyes widening. The last time he'd seen tar had been with Sasha. And, coincidentally, there had been mutated people around too. He grit his teeth. “Nix?”

“Wat ya waitin' for, Demon? Zap dem, man.”

“Tell me something first”, She craned her head around to look at him with a puzzled expression. “The Swamp Beasts. Corrupted. Are they your work?”

Nix blinked in confusion. Cole furrowed his brows. “You're using tar. The last time someone used tar, they were corrupting people too.”

“Ah” The female Conduit shook her head. “Nah. Not mah work. De Swamp Tings, all de Militia's.”

Cole approached the captured hicks. “That true?”

“What are you freaks talkin' about?!” One of the guys spat, “Let us go or we'll show you what it means to fuck with us!”

The Electric Conduit cocked his head, then glanced at the Fire Conduit. “Zap them, huh?”

“Yeah, man. Sparks make dem go boom.”

“Well, I can do sparks.” Cole stepped back and threw a single bolt of lightning at the tar, igniting it instantly and blowing the hicks sky-high.

Nix cheered. “Dat was good, man!” She grinned at him, and Cole couldn't help but return it. “Was on de roof is even better. Jus' gotta be sneaky 'bout gettin' up dere.” She winked at him. “A got it easy, Demon. Ya will need to be creative.” She vanished again, leaving him alone.

Cole sighed and sent out a radar pulse, mapping the surrounding and finding the roof with the least amount of idiots on it. He instantly latched onto the lowest window sill and thrust his body upwards, snatching the next one and just scaling the building upwards that way.

Smoke and the acrid stench of gun powder greeted him the moment he made it up, and Nix rematerialized in that moment, trapping the next guys with her tar. Cole blew them up then, sending them sprawling. “Nice one, baby”, Nix cheered. Cole almost choked on his own spit when he saw her grin and wink at him again, before she whirled around and threw flaming orbs that exploded on contact at the next few guys.

He zapped a few dudes more, turning his attention back on his current partner. Nix was standing next to the roof edge, glancing downwards. On the street level was some form of assembly, and the Militia idiots down there were shouting. Cole noticed the barrel of oil standing next to the other Conduit. She also gestured to the large banners that had been installed on flag poles.

He understood what she had planned, and went to help her tip the oil barrel over the banner. “Ya gonna like dis”, she told him as they emptied everything over the flag.

“I am already liking this”, he told her. “You want to burn it down?”

“Yeap. But firs' we gotta do de oters too.”

“Can you lift the barrels on your own?” He certainly could, but he didn't know whether super strength was part of the package when applied to a female Conduit.

Nix nodded. “No problem, man.”

Cole grinned as they dropped the barrel. “Race you then!”

He instantly dashed over to the edge of the roof and leapt off, gliding towards the next roof as he heard Nix's laughter. “Ya don' stand a chance, Demon!” She vanished again, reappearing on the opposite side.

He tackled bodily into another group of hicks, spinning on his heel and introducing all of them to his Amp at once. Nix's voice was clearly audible, even at a distance. “Das rigt, MacGrat'! Show dem wo's boss!”

He did. Amidst all the chaos, and the bullets buzzing past, he felt strangely satisfied with himself. He was where he belonged, stomping idiots into the ground. And this time, he had another Conduit at his side who enjoyed the same chaos he did. It was fun, he had to admit and he didn't even care whether these guys were alive at the end of it- they certainly deserved it, he figured, and he wasn't going to take Nix's fun by telling her to take it easy. In fact, he found that like this, without having to care about anything, he felt a lot more at ease than before.

“Nix!” He smacked a shockwave into a larger guy and flung him over. Nix cackled like a madwoman and threw a fiery ball at the guy, the explosion knocking him into the roof.

Chuckling, he headed over to another oil barrel and emptied it over the banner there.

“Hey!” He shouted, “I got one!”

“Two, baby”, Nix replied, materializing next to him with a wide grin. “Not bad for som'one as slow as ya.”

“Hey, I take that as compliment.”

She cackled again, then bowed slightly. “Ya wanna 'aff de 'onors?”

Cole's smirk just widened as he aimed at the closest banner and sent out a single bolt. The saturated fiber caught fire instantly, as did the other three as soon as his lightning made contact with them.

Down there, the Militia idiots started panicking. Nix laughed the entire time, leaning down to yell at the guys. “Were ya gonna run?”

Cole's own expression was probably just as unhinged as he watched those idiots run around like headless chicken down there.

“Nice” He choked for real this time, eyes widening with the realization that his attention had been completely taken over by hunting the Militia down, and he had neither noticed this unique energy pattern, nor heard the heavy thuds that signaled his approach.

Alex stood right behind them, arms crossed over his chest and both eyebrows arched up.

* * *

He enjoyed moving through New Marais without any care in the world. Now at full control of his powers again, he also had gotten back his gliding and more powerful jumps. Traversing the city had been easy.

It wasn't entirely for fun, though, because he felt responsible for Kuo's abduction. So Alex was looking for Militia guys who might have an idea. So far, and about ten snacks later, he had to realize that the men who had their hand in the abduction obviously weren't allowed to talk to anybody, so nobody knew who had been there in the first place.

He wondered whether Bertrand was aware of his abilities, or whether that was just basic paranoia.  
Probably latter, he decided, because not even the  _Marines_ in Manhattan had been aware of the more delicate applications of his powers. Though...that made him wonder. What exactly had Bertrand to hide that made something like that necessary?

This train of thought was cut off quickly however, when he heard explosions and shooting from the south of New Marais. Intrigued, he had drawn closer, recognizing the scent of ozone from a distance. Cole?  
He should have been looking for Kuo, though was now apparently fighting the Militia. So did he find her?

Alex quickly realized that he didn't, but apparently he had found another Conduit instead. A female with tar-based fire powers. Huh. His eyebrows shot up, because obviously, the two of them had a lot of fun attacking the Militia. While they weren't used to work as a team, they didn't seem to have too many problems with it either, and he had been content to just watch for a moment until he realized that he was feeling a bit jealous. They had so many hicks to fight, and wouldn't leave him any.

That was why he approached them the moment they set fire to all the banners.

“Nice” He meant it. It was a glorious sight. Cole nearly choked as he whirled around, and the female Conduit also more or less jumped. Alex did his best to appear as nonchalant as possible to avoid them attacking him. He could deal with electricity, but he didn't play nice with fire.

Luckily, Cole recognized him, despite the lack of leather jacket and hoodie.

“Shit, Alex? Where do you come from?”

“I just made a trip to check up on the city when I heard your fireworks.” He put the appropriate amount of sulk into his voice. “I can't believe you started without me.”

“Hey, you told me you were going to let me vent.”

“This isn't venting anymore.”

The female Conduit looked from Cole to him, blinking, before turning to him. “Wo ya?”

“Alex”, Alex replied easy.

“He's one of my friends I told you about”, Cole added. He waved to his companion. “That's Nix. She's the Swamp Witch we heard about and no, she's not on Bertrand's payroll, so there has to be another Conduit here.”

Most likely.

Alex eyed this Nix woman briefly. She glanced back, then folded her arms in a direct imitation of his posture. “Mhm. Ya sneaky, a give ya dat”, she said. “Ya wantin' to tell us to stop?”

“Actually”, the Runner cocked his head, “I was about to ask you to let me join in.”

Her eyes glinted mischievously. “As long ya take care of dese fools, am all for it.”

Alex's face lit up like it was the Fourth of July. Cole groaned, wiping his palm down his face. “How about you let us have half a minute head start first? Oh, and, no need to turn this into a bloodbath.”

So restricting himself? He could do that. He just flashed the other a grin “Deal. Thirty seconds. Go.”

The Electric Conduit immediately grabbed the Fire Conduit's arm and hurled himself off the building, dragging her along. Alex knelt down and watched them hit the floor feet first and in a beautiful discharge of sparks and flames. Then Cole lunged to the front and brained the first few guys with his Amp, while Nix vanished in a flurry of ember and smoke and suddenly reappeared several yards across the place and blew up a few of the guys up with explosive orbs of fire.

Twenty Seconds.

The woman summoned a mass of tar that completely restricted four guys at once, and Cole set it alight with a single lightning bold, generating a massive explosion. He, in turn, threw several men through the air with his shockwave and she picked them off by herself.

Ten Seconds.

Cole heaved a large barrel off the floor with his magnetic powers and threw it at a group that crowded around Nix. The female Conduit vanished in a flurry of ember and smoke, and the barrel mowed the guys down.

Zero.

Alex got up and casually stepped off the roof, falling to the ground. The moment he hit the floor with a solid  _crack_ and whirled up enough dust to hide his form, he pulled up his Armor. Mostly to hide his identity and also to avoid ricochets from the Conduits. He charged in, just slamming his shoulder into the first group of guys to send them flying. He didn't know whether they were going to survive, but that had been more of a love-tap. If they were lucky, maybe.

There were yells from the side, and he spun on his heel, Whipfist lashing out to grab the guy at the center of a group. As he pulled him in, he swung his arm up to smash the man against the ground with enough force to shatter his body, then dragged the carcass in and added his mass and memories to his own.

His good mood lessened briefly, and he charged the remaining group, scattering them. From the side, Cole was lunging at another guy, whacking him hard with the Amp to knock him out. Nix's cackle was easily audible even over the cacophony of the Militia attempting to flee.

“Cole”, Alex growled, “Come here.”

The Conduit easily jogged up to him, eyebrows arched. “Yeah?” Alex gestured towards the side of the assembly, where two armored trailers stood.

“They have captured a bunch of 'Deviants', were going to make an example of them.” He could sense the other clench his fists as soon he realized what he had said.

“What?”

“Tried to execute a bunch of people.” He stopped in front of one trailer. “I take this one. You the other.”

“On it” Cole rushed towards the other trailer, leapt up on it and wedged his Amp into the hatch at the top of the car, wrenching it open with little problem. As soon it was open, he knelt down to drag the first of the guys out.

Alex just cracked his knuckles and sank his hands into the metal walls, fingers curling around the steel sheets- then he stepped back and simply pulled out a part of the trailer like it was made of paper.  
The people inside were staring at him with wide eyes. Alex snorted and stepped back, removing his Armor in the process when he figured that his normal appearance might induce less trauma in the guys.

“You're free”, he rumbled at them. “Get away and lie low. Bertrand won't remain here much longer.”

“You promise?” One of them asked carefully.

“Yes. Not immediately, but within the next weeks.”

“Thank God”, the man groaned out, “We thought we were done for!”

“Ya should go”, Nix piped up from her position kneeling on the trailer. Cole had finished with his car and was now heading over, followed closely by the guys he had freed. The Fire Conduit waved her hand vaguely towards the north. “In de Flood Town, dere are people dat will help ya.”

“Thank you-”

She waved him off. “Jus' go an' make sure dey don' get ya again.”

The people hurried off while thanking them profusely. Cole crossed his arms, grinning. “So I guess this is a good end to a great battle?”

“Oh Yeah, baby!” Nix beamed, “You was... _damn_!”

“Nice moves”, Cole told her. He eyed Alex. “I'm sorry you missed most of the fun.”

The Runner shrugged. “Not mad about it.” He nodded towards the woman. “Good work there.”

Her grin widened. “Ya bot' not bad yaself”, she replied. She paused and pulled a large glowing object from a pouch on her belt. Alex figured it was a Blast Core, because Cole's eyes lit up. “'ere it is, Mistah Pretty.”

Cole took hold of it, but Nix reinforced her own grip by using her second hand too before letting go. “A see ya again?”

The electric Conduit took a small sheet of paper from his pocket and scribbled his number on it, handing it over in return. “Call me”, he told her, lifting his hand to let lightning run over it. “We got a little something in common.”

Nix nodded, then turned and simply vanished in a puff of smoke. Cole shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Unbelievable?”

“That I'm running with someone like Nix. She's crazy.” He smiled. “But I think we might need a little crazy to deal with these idiots.”

“It would be useful”, Alex pointed out as they slowly wandered away from the burning stage. “She certainly knows more than she currently lets on. I'm sure with time, she will reveal more to us.” His lips quirked up a little. “At least we can note her down as ally.”

“You are pretty trusting.”

Alex snorted. There wasn't much that could be hidden from Blacklight. “She was genuine in her hatred for the Militia”, he told the Conduit. “It goes deeper, but she is smart enough to not engage blindly. And restraint isn't easy to work with.”

“Sounds like you're speaking from personal experience.”

“I've been there. It got better with time, so I know how hard it can be.”

Cole snorted and slapped Alex's chest with the back of his hand. “C'mon, we go back and I'll check what kind of powers I'll get when I consume this thing here.” He waved his arm. “And while I sleep it off, you can, I dunno, plan the next step or something.”

The rest of the way was done in amicable silence. They first jogged down the street, but soon took to the roof again to avoid the Militia coming in to check up on the racket.

“Found anything from Kuo?”

“Nothing. Just a bunch of Militia goons. First I thought they were after her, but I think they've been after Nix.” He was silent for a moment as he jumped over a gap and rolled off on the other side. “And I discovered a few interesting things. First of: I'm now a hundred percent sure that the Militia works with the Corrupted. Because every time I finished with one group, the other jumped my ass.” He unfurled a second finger. “Second, there is a group of Corrupted that blows up when they get close enough. Third, they don't like sunlight.”

Alex glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. “No?”

“No”, Cole leapt clear over an AC unit. “They burn when they walk out in the sun, but can stay in the shade with no ill effect.”

“Huh. Probably the UV radiation”, Alex suggested. “At any rate, an interesting weakness. And would explain why they come out at night.”

“Mostly”, Cole corrected him. He paused briefly, squatting on a railing, and stretching his back. “Man, I could _eat_. I hope Zeke got something to bite ready.”

“I think he got a little more”, Alex commented, already spotting the figures of Dunbar and Dana on their roof.

Cole moaned a little as they set back down on it. “Feels like home already”, he commented.

“Yeah, took some work”, Dunbar replied, walking up to them. Surprisingly, he was wearing the Militia uniform, showing it off to them. “What do you think? Double Agent Zeke Dunbar. At your service.”

The Electric Conduit furrowed his brows. “First of, I think the uniform is a few sizes too small. And second, are you really sure it'll work?”

“Man, you know me”, Dunbar replied with a shrug. “I can make friends everywhere. I will get you some juicy info.” He pointed at Alex. “He said he trusted in me.”

The Runner gave him a very flat stare. “Technically, I told you that in case I wouldn't get my powers back”, He briefly shifted into the Militia he consumed at the assembly. “But, as you can see, that point is kind of moot.”

“I get that, but seriously?” Dunbar crossed his arms. “I don't think you want to eat those idiots anyways. I mean, what kinda information can they give you? How to be assholes?”

He...got a point there. Hicks weren't really to his taste, though the more voices he collected inside his head, the harder it was to pick out the individual ones. So Alex just shrugged in response, dropping the topic altogether.

Dunbar turned back to Cole. “Now, let's check out the Blast Core.”

Dana spoke up finally. “Over there”, she mentioned, pointing to a part on the roof further away. “Any time you power up, you give off crazy amounts of energy. I don't need you frying my laptop. I got my shit on it.”

Cole threw up his hands. “Yeah, yeah. I got it. But please make sure I'll wake up on the couch or somewhere that won't be Hell on my back.” He walked over, took the Blast Core from his bag, and glanced at Dunbar. “And I better not wake up in a Militia Cage.”

“With Alex and Dana here? I don't think so”, Dunbar replied. “Go on, man. Once you wake up, we're gonna have something to eat.”

“Deal” The Conduit inhaled once, grabbed the Core with both hands- and sent a discharge through it. 

Instantly, a purple glow enveloped his form, and Alex could see Cole's body clench together violently, fingers digging into the Core and cracking its surface. At the very moment the Core shattered under his grip, his body was dragged into the air, held there by some invisible force as red and blue lightning ripped across his surface and lashed out to impact into the ground around him.

This quickly turned out to have been a rather small discharge, as the next second the arcs became longer, wilder and brighter, and Alex found himself standing over Dana, already back in Armor, to protect her- but the violent discharge dissipated suddenly and the tension that held Cole's body snapped like a rubber band, sending the Conduit flopping to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

Dana winced briefly. “Ouch. Right on the nose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how long I waited to introduce Nix. She is basically the entire reason I'm writing this thing.


	14. Storm's coming

The sun had vanished and was now almost ready to rise again, but Cole was still out cold. Alex figured it was because his body had only accumulated more damage and stress during his trip through the bog and the subsequent meeting with Nix, while the damages from the truck crash still hadn't healed up properly.  
And maybe the activation of the Blast Core threw everything in disorder too, so his system took a while longer to reboot. Dunbar had remained nearby, but like Dana, eventually nodded off himself. Alex had remained awake, kept working on the data they extracted.

That was until he felt another voice reaching out to him. He stopped what he was doing, just staring into space while shutting down any other function. Dana always said it was creepy, because he stopped breathing or blinking (or at least pretending to) entirely for the duration of the conversation.

_Heller?_

“ _Cross found something. You might want to check it out.”_

_What did he find?_

“ _Bertrand couldn't say no when we went over the Militia's property. And there was one that jumped to attention.”_

_You don't say._

“ _Too high the energy output. It's marked as the compound for another mercenary group Bertrand employed, though I've never seen them. Operate out of South Africa, Vermaak 88.”_

Alex furrowed his brows.  _Heard about them. White supremacists. The name indicates Neo-Nazis, actually. Vermaak- Wehrmacht; 88- HH, heil Hitler._

“ _Yeah, I noticed”_ , Heller scoffed noticeably. _“Anyways, I checked in with Redstone. And he told me that there were no mercs, White assholes or otherwise. There's an old plantation building, but that's it. Certainly nothing that verifies the energy output.”_

_Underground then._

“ _Exactly. Problem is, now that we know, Bertrand is probably going to move everything.”_

_I'll check it out then. See what I can find._

“ _I was about to suggest the same.”_

_Any reason you're not doing it?_

“ _Can't sneak the way you do. And they're looking really close at me already. I think they know I've been at the party at St. Ignatius, but they can't prove it, and most of the assholes are scared of Cross.”_

_Fair point._ Alex glanced back at the sleeping forms of the others.  _Are you under observation right now?_

There was a short silence, but he could sense the Evolved focus on somewhere else.  _“Yup. Can shake them no problem, though.”_

_Do it. I'm not comfortable leaving the others without protection._

“ _MacGrath still asleep?”_

_Yeah. I doubt he'll wake before the morning._

“ _Just going to tell Cross, then I'll head over.”_

Alex inhaled once and shook himself, blinking rapidly a few times. He checked again over the notes he managed to put together, then closed the laptop. By that time, Heller appeared on the roof.

“Keep Cole nearby if he wakes up before I return, though he might take a run around the block if he needs to”, Alex told him. “I'd like to speak to everybody present on what I'm going to find or not. It'll be easier.”

“Yeah, you get it.” The Evolved eyed Dunbar. “Any reason he's wearing orange?”

“Dunbar's our permanent link to the Militia. He's going to keep us informed.”

Heller snorted amused. “You don't want to lose IQ points by consuming too many of these idiots, right?”

“That, and they are probably going to notice when their numbers dwindle without bodies turning up.” He could get away with a few, however. “Thanks for looking after them. See you around.”

Heller grunted in acknowledgment, sitting down on the chair he just vacated, while Alex carefully kicked off the roof and glided across the street. He eased down on the opposite side to avoid leaving his tell-tale cratered rooftops, though he figured these guys weren't smart enough to make a connection.

And he was fast enough to reach the compound Heller described at the other end of the city within a reasonable short time. He crouched down briefly to check the area, taking note of the men milling about. One of them took his attention, further to the side of the complex, leaning against a sturdy fence made of steel bars. Alex dropped to the ground, carefully buffering his fall with a glide, then moved out into the streets. He manipulated the surface of his body slightly, growing a set of headphones and replacing jacket and hoodie for the T-Shirt, tucked his head between his shoulders and put his hands into his pockets. Then he sidled down the sidewalk, attempting to appear as nonchalant as possible.

If the Militia noticed, they didn't show any reaction towards him. Good enough, so they didn't notice him easing closer to the guy leaning against the fence.

Alex struck, shoving one arm through the technically much too narrow gaps between the bars to grab his head and muffle the guy's sounds, then simply snapped his neck with the other hand. The same moment, his body lost all cohesion and he squeezed his mass through the fence to consume the idiot and reform with his face in his spot. Nobody had noticed a thing.

The information he gathered was enough. He now knew the placement of their mortar ordnance, he knew the way to the barracks, knew how many guys could be readied at a moment's notice.  
He knew that the plantation building was a ruse. It housed the men, but it was unimportant otherwise. Because he now also knew that Bertrand had large constructions done under the ground here, in secrecy. The shed that sat a little to the side was the real center of attention here. Alex snorted and slowly started moving closer- again, nobody paid him any attention.

They were used to men simply leaving their post for a quick leak, or a bite to eat. After all, ever since they took over, nobody dared facing them. People like Cole and him were unheard of until now, and the men hadn't managed to learn how to deal with them.

The Runner drew closer, when he felt the Biomass at the back of his neck bristle. There was ice crusting the floor, and it stopped him for a moment. Ice?  _What the..._   
Then he noticed the tiny whiff hidden under the stench of all those Militia goons, gasoline and gun powder, but he still recognized it.   
Lucy Kuo.

She had been here, not too long ago. And he knew for fact that only Bertrand and his most trusted men were allowed inside the building.

“Gotcha” He still needed more information, the guy he was wearing was one of the lower food chain, so he circled the area again until he found one who was higher in the hierarchy. He only recognized him because of the tattoo that peeked out from under his sleeve, as all men wore similar uniforms. Alex crept closer, pausing momentarily as another man came to talk to his target, then slid forwards when he was alone again. After that, it was over quick. He grabbed the guy's throat, crushed his windpipe, and sank his free hand into his lower back, flooding his system with Blacklight and dragging him in at the same time as he stepped into his form.

His eyes narrowed when memories that weren't his settled inside his skull.   
_Interesting_ .  
They had gotten the call that they had to tidy up here as fast as possible and move everything to the labs located in Fort Phillipe in Ascension Parish at the east of the city. However, since their project was entering the vital stage, they couldn't do that right now, had to wait. Alex's snack hadn't known what the project was, but he was aware that it had started the day before- when a group with Bertrand moved in, dragging  _someone_ into the shack. And  _he_ recognized the figure from the other's memories quite easy. Kuo. 

She was inside that place, and since she'd been put in there the ice had started growing. That didn't spell anything good.

Alex glanced over his shoulder briefly, then leaned against the building wall and lowered his head, while opening himself to the Hive Mind.

_Your intel struck gold._

Heller's reply took a moment.  _“You found her?”_

_Most likely. I know where she is. And we can take a little time. Prepare things correctly. Still, we need to be quick about it._

“ _Should I get Cross in on this?”_

_Not yet. It has nothing to do with the Corrupted, I think._ He furrowed his brows. _But we'll need a few more hitters. This place is locked up tight. Plus they got a form of last-resort action to be taken in case we don't get them fast enough._

“ _You and me, and MacGrath.”_

_Plus maybe a few of the cops. I can go and talk to them, they should listen._ Alex paused when the wind turned, and he caught scent of another person nearby. Leather, bog, tar and smoke.  _I think I just got another hitter here. I'll be back once I've spoken to the police officers._

His world turned back to colors and sounds, and he slowly removed himself from the building, eyes searching the edges of the area, where trees stood. He subtly shifted to infrared, finding a singular hot spot perched in the otherwise cold branches.

Alex cocked his head, then strode off into the opposite direction. He slipped behind the main building and hurried towards the surrounding fence, keeping an eye out for eventual on-lookers, before he leapt clear over the obstacle and slipped into the treeline, weaving his way through the underbrush as quickly as he could without mowing down the cypresses.

He didn't remain completely hidden, though, because several animals fled on his approach, and that in turn got the other's attention. He felt her react more than he actually saw it, and instantly stopped moving- just in time to side-step her when she tried to tackle into him.

She materialized in a cloud of ember and smoke, spinning to face him with a low growl, but he just lifted his hands. “Relax. I'm on your side.”

Nix's eyes narrowed. “Ya one of Laroche?”

Laroche, he knew that name. Leader of the rebels that tried to undermine Bertrand's rule. Alex shook his head in reply. “Nope. Not Laroche. But we met yesterday.” His surface shifted, tendrils rising from his depths to consume his current shape and replace it for his modified own. Nix's eyes went as wide as saucers, and she stepped back. “ _Zut alors!”_ She bit out, then switched back to English. “Ya Alex,  _non_ ? Cole's frend?”

The Runner bowed his head slightly. “He got lightning. I got shapeshifting.” That was the safest way to put it, left out the worst of the truth.

“Shit, man, das sweet.”

“I noticed you watching the compound”, he motioned towards the building visible through the trees. “Why?”

“Sometin' stinks”, she admitted. “Dey dig in, get nervous. Mah skin crawls too. Don' like it.”

“They have one of Cole's friends. A woman named Kuo”, he told her, “Kidnapped her and keep her prisoner under that shack.”

“Wy don' ya free 'er den?”

“I am _alone_. I don't want to risk getting swarmed somewhere while somebody else terminates her.” Because that was what they were told- if anybody attacked, they were to get into the hidden bunker and terminate the project.

Nix cocked her head. “Ya need 'elp.”

“More like _I am_ the help. Cole's the one that should get her out.” If there was an energy field or something down there, he would be better suited to free her. “But I wanted to ask you whether you are down for kicking some ass on his order.”

She grinned. “Am down? Baby, ya jus' tell mah to break a few crackers, an' a do.”

“That's what I wanted to hear”, Alex smirked evilly, then nodded over his shoulder. “I'll take you to Cole, if you want to, but I need to make a stop before that.”

“Yeah?”

“The cops suffer just as much under Bertrand as the civilians do. I met a few before, and a man named Robertson seemed to be the one to contact.”

Nix made a face. “A don' trust cops”, she declared. He already figured, people like her, people living at the edge of civilization rarely had any love left for the governmental bodies.

“You don't need to talk to them, but you and them are on the same side. Don't you think that they should at least know about this? If only so they won't shoot you when they see you”, he added almost as an afterthought.

Nix's grimace only turned into a scowl, and she was silent for a moment. “A gonna meet dem den. But jus' 'cause dey don' like Bertrand.”

“You can get people to hurt afterwards. Promise.”

“Ya better not lyin', or a will set ya ass on fire”, she shot back.

“There won't be any need. You'll get your fight, as long you'll leave enough of them for me.”

* * *

When Cole woke up, his first thought was that he was hungry. Really hungry, like his stomach was trying to eat itself. The sun was up already, and he could smell something tasty, and his belly rumbled.

“Morning, Cole”, Dana seemed to appear out of nowhere, looking at him over the edge of a sandwich. The Conduit blinked, then made a 'gimme' motion with one hand. Dana pulled back. “Nope. Get your own.”

“Where?”

“From here, brother”, Zeke commented, and Cole slowly sat up, feeling the bones in his back align with a distinct _pop_. He glanced over, noticing his friend besides that big scary Sergeant dude. Who just put a plate with self-made sandwiches on the table. The Conduit didn't even ask, just leapt to his feet, hurried over and grabbed the closest one to inhale it without chewing. Heller snorted. “Slow down, or you'll choke.”

“I'll chew after I'm not starving anymore”, Cole countered, already reaching for another sandwich. He was feeling famished, and he could guess it had something to do with the Blast Cores. Technically, he could probably stave off the hunger by consuming electricity, but he was pretty sure he should get _something_ into his stomach first. While he could exchange the energy from food with energy from the city grid, he couldn't replace nutrients. And who knew when he had gotten some of those into his system last. So, first some of those really damn good sandwiches.

Halfway through his fifth, the Conduit finally slowed down. “Where's Alex?”

“Went to check up on something”, Heller explained. “He already contacted me, said he found something.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but he also told me to stop you from charging in half-assed, because he wants to talk to all of us first.”

Cole made a face and finished his sandwich. “Can I still try out what new power I got, or do I have to stay?”

The Evolved furrowed his brows as he considered it. “I got a secure radius of hearing of about...three or four blocks. Try to stay within that boundary.”

“Got it” God, when that wasn't a wonderful example how fucked up his life was that he didn't even _consider_ the mechanics of such keen senses, then he didn't knew what would be.  
He waved at them and hopped off the roof, heading to the fountain at the middle of the nearby plaza. He could sense people with a lot of metal on their bodies there, and those could have been hicks. The moment they shot at him, he realized that yes, they were hicks.

Exactly who he had been looking for, because something inside of his head told him to beat up hicks and see what happened.

So he did as soon he found the first guys making trouble. He took them by surprise too, they barely had time to realize he was there before he dropped the first one with a well-aimed lightning bolt to his leg. The other guy ripped his gun up, but Cole was too close already. He swung his Amp wide and let it collide with his hip, cracking something and sending him swearing to the ground. The man writhed on the ground just like his buddy. The Conduit glanced at him once, then stepped on his chest and clenched his hand claw-like, pinning him to the ground with a set of electric manacles. He proceeded like that with the other guy, then turned away and tried to find something that was different.

With his magnetic powers, he had felt something draw him towards the car. With this...more hicks? Violence in itself? He definitely felt a little... _hotter_ , like something was burning under his skin.

_Let's try this_

Cole glanced back to the 'Martini', knowing fully well that they could still see him, then lifted his hand and fired a lightning bolt at one of the wires suspended between the buildings to generate light and attract attention.

“That's the freak!” He heard someone shout, and turned to see a group of hicks on a truck racing towards him. Cole braced himself, letting lightning run over his body. _Bring it_.   
The heat inside of him started to spread, settling in his limbs when he charged the first guys that scrambled out of the truck and tried to take him. He knocked the first one out with a violent kick to the face, then spun and slammed a lightning-coated fist right into the next one. Close distance was his friend, he knew, because no matter how dumb these guys were, they avoided shooting their own guys, so all he had to do was to stay nearby. And in close combat his enhanced strength ruled these guys anyways.

The heat continued to increase until it became near unbearable, twisting under his skin like thousands of volts- yet his lightning bolts didn't increase in strength at all. But he had to let it out- and he did with a wordless yell of rage.

Red lightning snapped from his wrists, only to fall apart and turn into a tornado made of embers and smoke that was spewing lightning bolts  _everywhere_ for a few moments before it dissipated. It left behind a swath of destruction: Turned over cars, thrashed street signs, uprooted trees, hicks thrown around.

Cole stared for a moment, then grinned darkly as he turned to the guys the vortex didn't hit. He casually cracked his knuckles. “You want some of that too?”

He wasn't sure what he expected, but either the guys were too dumb to live, or they really were into the whole martyr shtick, because they yelled and rushed him, as if they hadn't just seen the twister of destruction he created. Cole rolled his eyes and knocked them out with the Amp, then sent out a radar pulse to find some more. But asides from the people that had wisely left the streets the moment the shooting started and were now slowly coming out of their hideouts, he didn't see anybody else.

He did however sense a rather unique energy signature, along with one that was more similar to his own. Alex and Nix?

Cole immediately scrambled back to their rooftop, hoisting himself over the edge a few moments later- only to be met by Zeke and Dana clapping loudly. “Man!” Zeke commented, “That was  _awesome_ !”

“Neva seen de likes 'fore”, Nix added with an awed expression.

Cole grinned. “Well, to be honest, I didn't even  _know_ I could do stuff like that.” It hadn't tapped into his reserves, either, but he was feeling a bit lighter again. Like it had burnt the anger he had felt right out of his body.

“It looked a lot like a Devastator”, Heller claimed with a thoughtful look on his face.

The Conduit blinked, furrowing his brows. Devastator? That were Alex's giant spike balls of death, right? He looked back down to the damaged street with a grimace. Okay, so that had been the Conduit version of one. Which meant it was just as effective.

“Impressive”, Alex said simply. “It might be helpful today.”

Cole cocked his head. “Heller mentioned something of the sort, and”, he glanced at Nix, “You brought Nix with you too. So what is it?”

“I know where Kuo is.”

Cole blinked. “Wait-” He eyed Zeke briefly, then turned back to him, “For real this time?”

Alex hummed in his throat. “No guarantee. However, I know where she'd been the day before, and I know that there was some 'project' going on, and nobody left the compound. Chances are high she's still there.”

“Plus”, Nix added, “Dat place makes mah skin crawl.”

“What do you have?”

“Only an idea”, Alex admitted. “Bertrand had all his veteran soldiers gathered at the old cane plantation. Heller told me that there are supposed to be barracks, but there is nothing- and still something drains a lot of energy.” He crossed his arms. “An underground lab, most likely, because there should also be a mercenary group present, but I haven't even seen the lick of an hint there. They must be were Kuo is. More even, something is going on there, there is _ice_ there, and it had started to show up the moment they dragged her in.”

Cole felt his blood go cold. “Then we have to go now!”

“Not without a plan”, The Runner put down a sheet of paper and started drawing the approximate layout with a sharpie. “There are a lot of guys there, and if any of them gets through to this shack”, he pointed at the plan, “They have the orders to terminate the project, most likely killing her in the process.”

“Which means we have to act quick and without mercy”, Heller summarized. “Charge in and take them by surprise.”

“Exactly. But a distraction is also worth a lot.” He jabbed his thumb at Nix. “She got an idea about this.”

“Dere's a street car out front, a few block away”, the female Conduit pointed out with a grin that was all teeth. “We fill it wit' explosives. We make it go real real fast and make it ram into deir front door. Boom.” 

“Fire will make a great diversion”, Cole agreed. He paused with a frown. “Wait, street car? Like those that are filled with innocents?”

“Ya 'aff to get dem out firs'”, Nix deadpanned. “Make room fer gas.”

“Okay, But what about the other civilians?”

“We need to get them off the street too”, Alex explained. “I went and talked with Robertson. He should be currently leading the evacuation around the plantation building. I told him to think of something they'll swallow with no question, like a bomb scare or something.”

“The cop?”

“Yeah. They got a bunch of men captive nearby. Now I suggest one approach: You and Heller get the captives free. Robertson gets the civilians out of the target area, then meets up with you and the men. Nix and I will prepare the car and blow it up. Soon it goes up, the others will charge right in and raise Hell. I'll go and take out their mortar ordnance here.” He pointed at the paper. “Should get them by surprise, but you need to make sure that nobody gets close to that shack here- this seems to be the entrance to wherever Kuo is. Once we demolished their defenses, we can go in and get her out.”

“And Zeke and I get the escape car ready”, Dana added. Cole could tell the exact moment Alex wanted to argue, but one glare from his sister shot down anything he could have said. He reluctantly agreed to take her along after that. He just exhaled once, then pointed at Cole. “You go and get those men out. When you see the plantation go up in flames, that'll be your cue.”

“Got it.”

* * *

The roof cratered when Alex hit it in a crouch, his eyes narrow as he glanced down to the street. A few Militia goons had taken up to stand guard around the old street car that was filled with so-called 'deviants'.  
Nix appeared besides him in a wisp of smoke. “'ow many do ya see?”

“At least a dozen”, the Runner replied. “Nothing serious. I can clean that out no problem.” He glanced to the side where barrels of gasoline stood. “Do you want to help me, or get those barrels loaded into the train car?”

“Lettin' ya 'aff all de fun ain' fair, man.”

Alex shrugged. “Okay. Then we'll share.” He gestured to the group below. “I get the guys on that side, you those over there.”

“A like de sound of dat a lot more.” Nix grinned, and Alex returned it, even as his Armor crept over his body. He finished his shift by adding his Musclemass to his body, muscles bunching up under his hard shell to allow him a higher speed. Not that he would need speed when dealing with _humans_ , but it wouldn't hurt to eliminate them before they could call for help.

Nix whistled appreciatively. “Nice gig, man. Ya had it yestaday. Any reason?”

“Less damage from gunfire and friendly fire. Plus”, he tapped his face plate, “You won't recognize me unless you know it's me. Which gives me the chance to still sneak up on others while I'm outside of my Armor.” Plus intimidation factor. Scared foes were less likely to think straight.

“Sweet”

“One thing. If anybody goes for a radio, take them out first”, he told her, then immediately stepped off the roof to impact into the street a second later.

The men whirled, bringing their rifles up- but he already rushed them. His heat receptors along his skull picked up the hot embers that marked Nix's process as she too charged towards them with a mad cackle. Unwilling to let her get the first hit, Alex yanked his fist back and slammed it with full force into the ground, cracking the asphalt and generating a shockwave of displaced air that hit the first guy. He went down, and Alex didn't really care whether he was alive or not, though experience told him it would most likely be the latter- humans broke so easily, after all.

He didn't care much. Never had, with enemies. They had made this decision, now they had to live with it.

So he didn't feel bad when he reached the next three guys, grabbed the middle one and just ripped him apart to consume him. The other two started screaming- given, they have already done that before, but those yells gained a distinct panicked tone now. Alex shut them up by slamming his fists together, generating another shockwave to throw them across the street and making the car jump slightly from the force of the impact.

Numbers five and six tried to run. He picked up a nearby empty barrel and threw it after them, mowing them down.  
Screams that got cut off by explosions drew his attention, and as he sauntered around the street car, he witnessed Nix just finishing taking down her group. He arched an eyebrow beneath his shell as she teleported behind the last guy and delivered a fierce, fire-enhanced kick to his lower back to send him careening across the street and into a collection of dumpsters. He was most likely only injured, but down for the count anyways. Much neater than what he had done, he figured.

He didn't care, just went to the side of the car to rip a good-sized hole into the metal, revealing the startled civilians inside. “You can go”, he told them gruffly, stepping to the side. “Get out and lie low, away from here. Things are going to get hot very soon.”

“Veeery 'ot”, Nix added, leaning against a barrel of gasoline and playing with a small flame on her fingertip. The civilians left the street train in a hurry after that and Alex had to admit he had rarely seen humans move that fast as they did. Nix chuckled and snuffed the flame by clenching her fist briefly. “We doin' dat now?”

“Oh yeah”, Alex's grin was unseen, though he figured that it maybe was for the best. Dana had once told him that he was scary as Hell when he was allowed to partake in his favorite pastime. He had so little possibilities to do so, however. He was going to enjoy this one.

Nix grinned as she heaved the barrel closer. “Wat ya wanna do wit' it?”

“First we'll put them inside, but open them a little.” It should fill the badly ventilated inside of the car with enough fumes, and if he moved it, there should be enough sloshing over the edge to saturate the floor. 

“Dis gonna be great”, she cheered, rolling another barrel over.

“Oh, it will be”, he agreed, heaving it and the first one inside to stack them up against the walls. Nothing could compare to those thermobaric shells in his opinion, but he enjoyed explosions and fires all the same.

He suspected Nix did too, because her expression was way too unhinged as she moved all barrels closer. Once they were all inside the car, she generated enough of her tar to flood the whole cart by several inches at least. Then she stepped back with a thoughtful expression.

“'ow ya want to get it ova dere?”

Cole could act as a third rail to move the train that way. Alex had other ways to move this car. “I'll pick it up”, he said simply.

Nix blinked. “Pick it up?”

He snorted amused, then flexed his fingers once. It was only fifteen to twenty tons, still way less than the tanks he'd thrown when his Musclemass ability had been half a minute old. “I need you to set this thing on fire before I'll throw it at them. If you hit it in mid-air and it blows, the shockwave might counter the momentum too much.”

“No problem. But, wat 'bout ya?” 

“Armor” He could take a thermobaric shell if he had to. He wouldn't like it, but it was doable. “You ready? The moment we appear, they're going to shoot.”

She shrugged. “Dey won' 'it mah.”

“Good”, Alex knelt down at the middle of the train car and slid his fingers under the chassis to find some purchase. He preferred using available ones as opposed to making some himself, to avoid damaging the stability. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at his partner. “Watch”

Then he got up and easily hoisted the train car over his head. Nix's jaw went slack for a brief moment, then she whooped loudly. “Das it, baby! Yeah, we gonna show 'em!”

Alex grinned under his face plate. “Try to keep up.” He dashed to the front, from zero to easily fifty miles in just two steps. He heard Nix laugh, and recognized the heat flare when she started moving too, sprinting besides him in a flurry of ember and smoke.

“Dis is sick, man! Ya really sometin'!”

She should have seen him in Manhattan. He had the feeling she wouldn't have been opposed to rain down terror on unsuspecting soldiers.

Alarmed screams drew his attention, and he noticed the fenced-off area of the plantation coming closer  _fast_ . He scoffed once, bunched the muscles in his legs and  _sprang_ as high as his Armor allowed him to- it was pitifully low when compared to his usual jumps, but it was still nearly three stories high.

“Nix!” He bellowed, and the Conduit appeared at the floor in a cloud of smoke. She just aimed her palm and shot a single ball of fire at the train car, easily hitting the tar and setting it ablaze. Alex snorted, waited until he reached the apex of his jump and the train car above him turned into a small inferno- and chucked the whole thing at the main house in one powerful motion.

The sudden impact ripped all barrels open at the same time, spraying their contents everywhere- the mixture of gasoline and air ignited instantly, turning into a giant ball of fire that wordlessly tore through ancient wood and material, hungrily devouring whatever it could find. When Alex hit the ground again with a noticeable  _crack_ , Heller rushed past him and slammed hard into the scrambling crowd, sending three men flying through the air. Nix trapped several guys in her tar, then blew them up. At the same time, lightning struck a few more mercs, knocking all of the off their feet. For a moment, the Runner paused and watched with a smile the chaos unfolding, before he headed to the back of the compound to where the mortar ordnance were to destroy them and take all defenses away from the Militia.

It seemed like their trip to New Marais finally started to turn in their favor.

* * *

They hurried across the plaza on their way towards the car containing the trapped cops. Alex had told them that the Militia usually paraded them around, showing off their spoils of war. The results of this information varied: While Cole had just been offended, Heller had taken it as a personal insult, then more or less dragged the Conduit along as he made his way over.

And he was fast about it too- from sheer speed he had Cole beat and could keep up with Alex as long the latter didn't think to sprint seriously. He could easily cross four-lane-streets in a single bound, could jump four to five stories and didn't suffer from fall damage either. While it was less than what the Runner displayed, it was still a lot more than what Cole could do. He couldn't feel but being envious about that, just as he was envious about Nix's ability to teleport.

“What is the plan?” Heller rumbled, and Cole forced himself to pay attention to what was going on. He glanced down, realizing that they had reached a rooftop overlooking a truck that transported a shipping crate-turned-prison-cell that contained the trapped policemen. A bunch of hicks was crowded in a smaller truck to the front, as both vehicles slowly made their way along the streets, while the men where jeering at their prisoners.

He frowned briefly. “They're packing a lot of firepower. I'd say we go down, knock them out and take their guns away. Think the cops might need them.”

“Good plan”, Heller agreed, “Short and direct. I like it.” He was already moving towards the edge to just drop down, when Cole stopped him. 

“Should you really get down there like that?” The Evolved blinked puzzled. The Conduit rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, I mean, those guys know you, right? You're with Colonel Blackwatch and you've been there when he clashed with Bertrand.”

The other man understood his concerns easily enough. He still shook his head. “Nah, don't worry. It's not like they have any proof, or that I even give a shit about them knowing. What are they going to do? Shoot me? Won't work. Take my kid? She's at the other side of the continent and safe.”

“I'm more worried about Zeke and Dana. If these idiots notice us hanging around them, they could be in danger. Alex uses Armor when he doesn't want them to know any face he can wear”, Cole pointed out.

Heller snorted briefly. “I don't got Armor”, he explained, then his face became thoughtful. “Or maybe I have. It's certainly scripted into the virus, but I have no idea how to put it on. More even, the shifts are physical, which means I need to grow and remodel myself every time I transform. Hurts like a motherfucker. Only doing my arms will leave them numb for hours afterwards and I don't get any fingerprints back. Don't want to know what'll happen if I do my skin. Or whole body, 'cause I'm pretty sure I got some more shapeshifting too.”

“Then...maybe it'll be better if I go first, draw attention?” Cole wasn't really fond of a bunch of guys all shooting him at the same time, but if it was the only way...

“No chance”, the Sergeant scoffed, clenching his fists. “I know enough about hicks to know they won't recognize me. I'm just a black guy to them. Like all the others they disrespect, right? White assholes like them are incapable of telling people like me apart from others. Pretty sure they wouldn't even recognize your friend if she wasn't throwing fire at them.”

“That's...pretty generalized and asks for a large portion of idiocy.”

“But it's mostly true. Granted, there aren't many guys with my frame, but I got another thing for them.” He flexed his fingers and Cole was treated to the deeply disturbing image of his skin turning dark and scaly, of one finger melding with another and all of them shortening while giant bony claws pushed out of cracking flesh. The whole process took maybe a few seconds at most, but the end results were frankly terrifying. “Simple psychology”, Heller explained. “People will always look at weapons and deformities first. If I move fast enough to take them out before they manage to think further, I'll be fine.”

“That still doesn't sound all too safe”, Cole grimaced as he voiced his concerns.

Heller just shrugged. “One way to find out, right?”

“I guess so?” He went up to stand besides the man. “But still, please allow me the first shot.”

“Be my guest.” The Conduit lifted his hand, aimed the palm towards the front of the first truck that was slowly sidling down below them, and generated an orb of lightning in it. Yanking his hand upwards, he released the ball and it shot towards the unsuspecting idiots down there. The ball lightning exploded upon making contact with the street and forcing the driver to stomp on the brakes in panic. 

Heller moved like lightning himself, hurling his body off the rooftop to hit the floor with a massive crash and enough force to crack the ground. He charged the first truck head-one, tackling into it with enough force to knock it over, and without even waiting for it to fall, spun around and bodily slammed into the hicks following the trucks on foot. He sent two flailing through the air like rag dolls, and back-handed another guy hard enough to dent the container's metal as he crashed into its side.

Damn, two seconds in and Heller was already at three- another two guys careened through the air- five hicks in. He didn't even count the truck. Cole seriously had to step up his game.  
With an exasperated groan, he lunged off the building and hovered over the askew lying first truck, where the guys were still in the process of freeing themselves, but were also sufficiently distracted by the raging Evolved. The moment Cole was right above them, he pulled back his thrusters and dropped to the ground, ripping his Amp free the very last moment to reduce drag and impact into the floor with a maximum amount of force- sending lightning everywhere in a massive discharge.

The guys were flung away, less from the electricity and more from the suddenly displaced air, and on last count he had gotten at least five dudes knocked out himself. He heard Heller's low whistle. “Not bad.”

Cole grinned and swung around, braining another guy who tried to sneak past him. Heller just grabbed another two and slammed them together to knock them out- again, careful enough to  _not_ accidentally splatter them. Cole chucked several balls of lightning at the still mobile second truck in vague hopes to hit  _something_ vital. He was lucky, managed to blast off the two front tires and damage the suspension frame enough that the engine ripped out with an unholy shriek and the whole thing just died. Oil and gas leaked from the damaged vehicle, and he instantly focused his attention on the guys furthest away to avoid blowing everything up.

The remaining hicks were dealt with easily, and once they hit the floor, Cole quickly sent out several pulses to check for men with enough metal on their bodies to indicate more idiots. He didn't find any. “Clear”, he told his partner.

“You let them out and nothing's gonna stop them”, Heller pointed out, head cocked slightly into the direction of the shipping container. The men inside were cheering on them, and cursed out Bertrand with clenched fists and angry yells.

“Exactly what we need. You want the honors?” 

Heller grinned, teeth bared. “Oh, I want to.” He approached the cage, making the men flinch back slightly as his claws seized the metal bars with enough power to dent them from just  _grabbing_ them- then he simply pulled and tore the metal apart like it was no more than just a sheet of paper. 

Cole clapped his hands, drawing their attention away from the Supersoldier. “Alright. Who of you wants to join us in attacking the plantation to show Bertrand he can't do as he pleases with your city?”

Pleased, he noticed all of them yelling enraged their confirmation. Heller dropped the metal and pointed his claw at the downed men and the turned-over truck. “You guys might want to pick up some rifles from those idiots, since I guess you don't get superpowers handy.”

“Dude”, one of them commented, grabbing one gun and checking it over. “I don't give a shit about that. These assholes are thinking they own our city.”

“Time to show them they don't!” Another added.

“Good”, Cole jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “We're gonna meet up with Robertson. You've got to curb in your bloodlust long enough until you'll see the signal.”

“Shouldn't be long, though”, Heller added, “So you'll better hurry if you want some of the party, or we'll just pick them off first.”

“No chance”, a third man growled, then waved at the men. “C'mon guys!”

They sprinted off. Cole rushed after them, quickly overtaking them and chuckled. “Hell, this is going to be fun.”

Heller was easily keeping step besides him. “It will be, but we have to draw attention before these guys run into the line of fire.”

The Electric Conduit scoffed. “I'm not planning on letting anybody die. I had enough of that.”

“Same here”, Heller's arm shot out suddenly and blocked Cole's path, making the Conduit and the men following after them stop in their tracks. Another group of cops stood in front of them, close enough to the compound but hidden inside an alley.

“You did it”, Robertson sounded surprised at the sight of them.

“Can't let idiots like those hicks run around like they own the place”, Cole snorted.

“Sir, will this be on our record?” One of the others asked.

“As long you only do non-lethal shots, it won't”, the man replied simply, cocking his own rifle. He frowned at Heller's claws, then at the man's face. “When will the signal be?”

“Coming”, was the Evolved's simple reply, and that was when Cole noticed the smug expression on his face. The ground shook, and seconds later an armored black shape charged with easily fifty miles per hour down the street towards the plantation, carrying a God-honest _train car_ above his head like it was nothing. Heller just jabbed his thumb over his shoulder to the now empty but devastated street. “In case you haven't noticed, _that_ was it.”

Cole swore the moment the Evolved suddenly spun on his heel and raced out of the alley, and instantly dashed after him. He heard the startled yells from the plantation, and just managed to turn his head in time to see the impossible jump that carried both, Alex and the train car, several stories into the air.

Then it blew up and he threw the burning wreck right into the old building there. Heller reached the compound the second the Runner hit the floor and tackled into the first guys. Nix appeared out of nowhere, attacking several men with her tar. Cole, still reeling from the 'signal', managed to aim at a few guys and fry their asses.

Nix raced past him with a whoop, and Heller bull-rushed some more guys, throwing them across the field like they weighed nothing. In the background Cole could see the mortar ordnance shatter as story-tall black spikes ate the floor beneath them away. He heard shouts, and Robertson and his men finally caught up to them, ordering the Militia hicks to drop their weapons.  
They of course didn't listen. Cole decided to encourage them. He grabbed his Amp tighter, tried to remember the feeling he had back when he had used the Vortex. He had felt hot, but not unpleasantly, like he was more alive. He tried to remember what he had done before- beating up Militia. He was doing the same now, and out of a sudden, he felt the same heat sear under his skin. With a wordless shout, he yanked the Amp free and spun in a half circle, striking empty air- and giving his Vortex a direction to go into.

Superheated air, ashes and lightning turned into a roaring maelstrom. Trees got uprooted left and right, and chunks were torn from the ground in a violent display of raw natural forces. For all the three seconds it lasted, it caused a whole lot of destruction in its path.

Cole felt his lips tug upwards as he leaned back and he just laughed out. He was pretty sure it sounded more demented than he wanted it to, but he just didn't find it in himself to care.

“Wat ya waitin' for, Demon?” Nix's voice demanded to know. “More guys to beat up!”

“Sorry”, the Electric Conduit instantly jumped into motion, summoning another few lightning grenades to chuck them over and blow up a few guys more. “I just tried to enjoy the moment.”

“A get wat ya mean”, the woman appeared besides him with a wide, unhinged grin. Then her attention shifted suddenly, and she whooped out. “Yes! Get dem, baby!”

Alex hurled his body past them, kicking off the air in one motion to change trajectory and slam himself like a missile into the still standing walls of the plantation building. It crumbled under the impact like drywall.

Heller was further down the place, using his claws to shield himself from a guy shooting at him, then instantly slammed into him with enough force to knock him on his ass. Cole fired at a dude trying to sneak up on him, and Heller instantly ripped out a small bench and chucked it at another hick who had come up behind the Conduit.

The amount of idiots was quickly thinning. And- as he realized surprised- almost none of them were dead. Some were critically injured, but that was their fault for playing with fire.   
Good, because that was going to send a message. He was pretty sure it was the message he wanted to give: Don't screw with me or you'll get your ass kicked three ways to next Sunday,  _and_ you'll remember it for the rest of your life.

“Cole!” Alex appeared besides him with a heavy thud, gesturing towards the shack. “Now would be the best time.”

“What about-”

“We got dis”, Nix threw in, lugging another fireball at a still standing guy. “De big guy an' de cops an' a.”

Cole exhaled in relief, shoulders sagging, and turned his attention to the Runner. “Will you come with me? If someone can make heads and tails out of whatever we'll find, it'll be you.”

Alex nodded, then glanced at Heller and Nix. “You contact Dunbar and Dana, get them here.” Without saying anything else, he turned and headed to the door of the shack. There was a lot of ice around it, freezing the hinges and lock together. It wasn't an obstacle to him, though, because Alex just jabbed his claws into the frame and ripped the door out like it was wet paper. Cold air immediately started billowing out of the building. Cole furrowed his brows, then eyed his partner. “What exactly is this experiment you were talking about?”

“Something that has to do with Kuo, with something Wolfe built, and a mercenary group called Vermaak 88. Nothing solid, however.”

“We'll find out”, the Conduit growled, heading inside to stand in front of an elevator. It too was crusted over with ice, and he could see his own breath in front of his face. With a scowl, he placed one hand against the frozen buttons and let lightning run through it to hopefully warm it up enough. But the lift wasn't moving, probably too iced up. Cole snorted. “Shit, looks like we have to go the hard way.”

“Good”, Alex wrenched the elevator doors open violently, and peeked into the shaft. “Elevator's down there”, he mentioned. Then, after a moment's pause, reached out and tore the cables apart. “Nobody's going to get down there again”, he rumbled as he stepped through and let himself drop all the way to the ground floor. Cole heard the unholy shriek of metal on metal as he hit the cabin and caved it in. The moment he heard another door being forcefully opened, he jumped down into the icy darkness too, not knowing what he would find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot it was Friday today, and as thus I should upload another chapter.
> 
> Anyways, time to get our Super Spy back. Fixed a few things I didn't like about how thoroughly Black and White the characters were represented.


	15. The Sacrifice

It was cold down here. Way colder than the entrance had been. The hallway had been like a walk-in-freezer. Down here? Scandinavian Winter Night, maybe.

But  _what_ had caused this extreme temperature? Alex didn't know, and subconsciously started rubbing his arms in hopes of dispelling the freezing air that clung to him. Blacklight didn't like temperatures below freezing, though he noticed he was still in Armor when his plates cracked together. With an abortive huff, he dropped his arms.

“Cold?” Cole asked, though wasn't turned in his direction. Instead, he was looking at the opposite wall. Another door, his rudimentary sense of seeing told him.

“Some, but I can deal”, Alex replied. He was actually glad he was wearing his Armor- its thicker plates allowed for a better insulation than his unprotected surface. Maybe he could come up with some form of heat exchanger below it for future trips into cold places. He still pulled back the shell covering his face so he could see better, immediately wincing at the biting air. Damn, how did Cole do this?

One glance at the Conduit told him enough, though- there was lightning crawling over his form, likely keeping him warm while also offering some light to see. He was about to pry open the door to what was probably the main part of the laboratory, when Alex stopped him briefly.

“You might not like what we could find”, he told him. “If she is dead, or worse, will you be able to keep your head?”

Cole paused, swallowing. “If she is dead, if Bertrand killed her, I will kill him”, he answered after a moment's hesitation. “But I know I can't take him on my own,  _shouldn't_ do that because I need to stop the Beast before that.” He grit his teeth and slammed his fist against the metal walls hard enough to leave a dent. “So no. I won't charge that idiot, even if he  _deserved_ it.” His eyes glowed momentarily, making him look a lot like Kessler for a brief second. “But he won't get away just because I'll be busy with the Beast.”

“He won't”, Alex stepped towards the door and slammed his claws into the frozen metal, making it crack and splinter under the force. He ripped it out with a satisfying shriek as the hinges snapped in halves. More cold air billowed out, momentarily taking his breath and almost freezing parts of him solid. He immediately grew back his facial armor to protect himself, stepping back while Cole stepped to the front. His gasp was clearly audible, and his hot body was easily visible in the dark blues of the surrounding area.

“Kuo”, he whispered, rushing a few steps more into the cold. Alex grunted and forced himself to look, noticing the spot in the middle of the room- a spot that looked a lot like the missing NSA agent. With a mental shift, he brought back something like eyes, if only to see better in the cold and unmoving dark- wasn't anywhere near the level of his normal eyes, but it was enough. 

Kuo was in front of them, suspended in mid-air from some machine with her head being covered by a helmet. Her suit jacket and shirt were gone, leaving her only in pants and her undershirt. Tubes ran into her arms, and other ran out, disappearing somewhere in the dark. She hung limp, but her ribcage was still expanding slightly. She was still breathing?

He couldn't see her breathe in the frigid air, and he couldn't see her body temperature.   
No, he realized a second later, he could see it- but it was  _lower_ than even the surrounding room.

“Shit”, hot flashed across Alex's vision for a split second, and he saw the twin lightning bolts impacting into the cuffs keeping her suspended. The frozen metal snapped under the sudden expansion, causing Kuo's body to tumble downwards. Cole sprang and caught her in mid-air, a look of shock and horror crossing his features the moment they made contact.

“We got to get out of here!” He hissed. “Alex!”

The Runner's attention was briefly on the monitor that began flashing red bit by bit, and he craned his head up to see the hundreds of pods installed along the walls and connected to the same machine that had kept the woman captive. Beneath his Armor, his expression turned grim.  _That_ wasn't good. They were going to have some more problems in the foreseeable future.

But that was the  _future_ , they couldn't take care of that  _now_ . With a growl, he tore himself away and hurried after Cole, catching up to him and the agent the moment they reached the destroyed elevator. Without asking, he took the half unconscious woman from him, cradling her closer to his Armor in hopes of getting her body temperature up from  _under freezing_ , bunched his legs together and sprinted towards the wall, then upwards like he was running on flat ground.  
He stopped the moment he reached the upper landing, watching how Cole instantly climbed after him, using his footholds to pull himself up.

Then he heard the shattering of glass, and the shriek of metal. Cole did too, head wrenched back as his eyes narrowed. “What the-?”

“No idea”, Alex admitted gruffly. “Doesn't matter, we have to get her out of here.”

Cole's brows were furrowed, but he still reached for the woman. Kuo suddenly gasped once, then began squirming. Her heart was hammering away inside her chest, so Alex loosened his hold on her. Once she could move, she slid off the Runner's arm, briefly steadying herself against his shoulder for a moment before she stumbled towards the door as fast as possible.

“Kuo?” Cole hurried after her, then slipped under her arm to keep her from falling. “What did they do to you?”

They staggered out into the light, and Alex realized that there was ice crusting her hands, and frozen tears covering her cheeks. Her coloration seemed off, less pale as he should have expected and more...blue. She had changed over the course of just a day. Just like...just like Sasha.

“Conduit”, he realized. “He activated her Conduit gene.”

Cole's head snapped to him. “Without Ray Sphere?!”

“Not now”, Kuo choked into their conversation, panting in pain as the Electric Conduit more or less dragged her down the footpath and towards the street. The cops had finished cuffing all the Militia members, but were still in uproar.

Because someone- several someones, in fact, were pouring out of the shack, flooding out of the back entrance like a swarm of ants.

Then someone hit the floor in front of them. Alex snarled and was about to lash out, when the guy jumped off again in a blast of cold. Heller charged towards them. “What the Fuck?!” He snapped, gesturing to the men appearing all over the place. Alex couldn't see much of them amidst all the fog they were producing, or the ice that spread wherever they stood. Even as he shifted out of his Armor, the sight didn't become easier to understand.

They didn't attack them, however, seemed more content with getting out of this place.

“They are not important”, Cole hissed, “Come, we gotta get out of here!” He craned his neck. “Nix!”

The Fire Conduit appeared besides them, expression aghast. Without asking, she slipped under Kuo's other arm and helped dragging her, while a truck stopped with screeching tires in front of the plantation. Dunbar waved at them from the driver's side. “C'mon! Get your asses over here!” Dana was already halfway out of the co-driver's seat when Cole and Nix dragged the agent over and lifted her into the truck bed. “Get us out of here”, the Electric Conduit hissed, head snapping to the side where another of those ice men disappeared.

“Shit”, Dana gasped. “She's _cold_!”

“We can look after her when we are in a more secure place!” Alex barked, stepping back from the truck. “We'll follow you. _Go_!”

Dunbar nodded wordlessly and stomped down on the accelerator, taking them away from the plantation. Alex glanced back, checking the area with his thermal vision, but all he could see were icy spots that were only slowly warming up in the early Louisiana sun.

“The fuck were these guys?!” Heller snapped, running his paw over his scalp.

“Good question”, Robertson approached them, looking worried. “They just appeared out of nowhere, scared the Hell out of us.”

“Any casualties?”

“No, unless you count soiled pants”, the cop shook his head. “You guys- have you seen the sort?”

“The sort, yes”, Alex began slowly, “Back in Empire. There were men we referred to as 'Lesser Conduits', as opposed to Cole's 'Prime Conduit'.”

“You mean...” Heller's brows came down. “Kuo's got the gene”, he pointed out slowly, “She told me. But you said that the Ray Sphere was what activated them.”

“I did, but apparently...” Alex trailed off. “I guess there are other ways. Whatever Bertrand's done to her, it worked on a similar principle.”

“And these guys just now- they are all Lesser Conduits based on her?”

“I don't think they are _Conduits_. Even Kessler only had a hand full of these guys. This were hundreds-” Alex cut himself off when memories snapped together. “They are the Vermaak 88”, he realized. “They are the mercs Bertrand got here.” His gaze went back to the shack. “I'll go back inside”, he decided, “Find out what happened. You”, he shoved slightly at Heller's shoulder, “You go and check up on her.”

“I'm not the one with medical knowledge.”

“Keep the Hive Mind open then.” He already turned on his heel and summoned back his Armor, modifying his face plate to gain some eye spots for better sight, then paused and glanced at Robertson, who had jerked back. “You try to hold the guys you nabbed for as long as possible. You might want some answers from them.”

“No question there.” The policeman frowned at him. “Whatever's going on, it's not just this _Deviant_ business. Bertrand's got a lot to answer for if we get a judge willing to do something.”

“It's a good idea”, Heller agreed. “Good luck there, officer.” He saluted him, then kicked off and headed after the truck. Alex snorted and rushed back to the laboratory. This wasn't right. These men couldn't be _all_ Lesser Conduits. Were simply too many...but if they weren't Conduits, they had to be _human_. How did they get those ice powers, then? From Kuo? How was this possible?

* * *

“How is this possible?” Cole hissed as he and Nix got Kuo to their rooftop. His first idea had been to get a hot-water-bottle and try to get her body temperature back up, but the hot water had frozen within moments. Kuo was trembling, curling in on herself with a pained gasp when Cole thoughtlessly reached for her to tuck her into a blanket. He snapped his hand back and hissed in realization that he probably startled her. 

She was freezing again- literally because the humidity of the city condensed against her skin and became ice, turning into crusts of armor. There was a blue shine to her black hair, and her eyes, once brown, had turned a light blue color that was nearly the same silvery shade that Alex's were. Her skin was pale, but her forearms and hands were whitish-blue with mist constantly rising from them.

The Electric Conduit crouched down in front of the couch, eyebrows furrowing as he tried to find a way to put his thoughts into words. But really, what could one tell somebody who just turned into a Conduit through what was most likely torture?

He still had to try. “Kuo? You know where you are?”

She trembled, eyes darting briefly across the rooftop for a moment. “The folding chair is missing”, she whispered in a breathless tone, but she attempted to smile. “Thing was ugly as Hell anyways.”

Cole blinked, then grinned a little. “Don't let Zeke hear that, that thing's his favorite.”

“Brother”, Zeke piped up, “She can offend it all she wants, as long she's not in Bertrand's hands anymore.” He leaned over the backrest next to Nix, hissing through his teeth. “Shit, Super Spy, what happened?”

The moment she shut down again was easily to notice- Kuo made a noise that sounded a lot like a whimper and tried to curl up a little more. Zeke winced. “Sorry 'bout that.”

Cole growled, clenching his fists. “You don't need to tell us. We'll just go and beat Bertrand up. It's personal now.”

Nix hummed, slowly reaching for the agent and pushing some frozen strands of hair from her face. “Don' cry”, she muttered. “Ya got us. We'll 'elp ya get trou dis.” She eyed the Electric Conduit. “She one of us, no? Conduit?”

“It looks that way”, Cole admitted. “But I always thought you'd need a Ray Sphere for it-” He cut himself off when he saw the expression on her face. “How did you get your powers anyways?” 

Nix shrugged stiffly. “Wat ya said.” She was plainly uncomfortable about it, so he wasn't going to push it any further. Instead, he turned his attention back to Kuo, finally pulling that blanket over her. “You take a nap first, get your energy back up. Once you wake up, we'll figure what to do from there.”

She made a disbelieving noise, and the parts of the blanket her hands were touching already started to freeze solid. Suddenly, there was a muffled  _thud_ and he was halfway through whirling around and getting his lightning out when he recognized the dark skin and (now) sleeveless shirt. 

Dana cocked her head and approached him. “James? Where's Alex?”

“He stayed there”, the Evolved replied. “Wants to check up on this stuff-” He cut himself off with a frown, attention somewhere over his left shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. Got it.” He turned back to them. “He says he can get whatever we need from their computers.”

Cole threw a glance at Kuo, then gestured to the opposite side of the roof. “I don't think she needs to hear this right now.”

Heller arched one eyebrow, then nodded wordlessly. Cole and Dana trailed after him as he went several steps away and leaned against the roof exit, while Zeke and Nix remained with Kuo.

“She's been bled dry, right?” Dana asked simply, and it made Cole's whole body stiffen in terror. More even as Heller just grimaced. The younger Mercer huffed out. “I've seen the injection points. And her skin's too pale.” She narrowed her eyes. “How did she survive?”

“They traded it for saline solution”, Heller told them, “Plus, when they drained her her Conduit powers spontaneously activated, saving her with their additional healing capabilities- and forcing her to survive the following treatment.”

Cole forced down the nausea and rage that threatened to bubble up through his throat, instead swallowed hard to calm himself down. “Why?”

Heller scowled. “No idea” Then immediately cut himself off and stared blankly at some spot to his right. “Oh, okay. Mercer says it has something to do with Blast Cores.”

That got Cole's attention. “There had been a Blast Core-”

“ _Had_ been. Past term. It dissolved when Kuo's powers manifested. So the residue radiation is probably enough to trigger an activation when enough stress is applied.” Heller waved him off with a motion that was a whole lot more _Alex_ than it was _him_ , and for the first time, Cole realized how terrifying it must be to be constantly able to hear someone else's thoughts. He shook himself, forcing his attention to what he had said. A _Blast Core_ had activated Kuo's abilities. And the harness she was hooked up to...there had been a mounting that could have contained the Core.

“The Blast Core...”, Cole's brows furrowed again. “They did something with it and the machine, didn't they?”

The answer was a bit hesitating. “He seems to think so, though hasn't found much to work with at the moment.” He frowned slightly and fell silent for a moment, his focus somewhere else as he listened to something only he could hear. Dana caught the Conduit's eyes and shrugged. “They're doing that often”, she said to answer his untold question. “He knows what Alex knows, and Alex knows what he knows. If they don't, they can talk to each other-or technically, listen to each other's thoughts- no matter where either of them is. It's useful.”

And kind of horrible to lose this much privacy, Cole thought, because either of them could always be listening.

Heller snorted once. “Fucking slow down, I'm still working on believing the first part-” He cut himself off, glaring at the air conditioner like it had personally offended him. “The fuck's that supposed to mean? I'm working at the Crime Labs, thank you very much.”

Dana smirked and nudged Cole's shoulder. “Imagine him leading an argument like that in the middle of his work place.”

“-I can talk to them no problem-”

It was a bit funny, he had to admit, but it was also mind numbing horror to realize that there were people who weren't alone in their heads- and the voices were real people in that case, not just parts of their minds who believed they were somebody else. What had Manhattan been like to them, he wondered, and decided he didn't  _want_ to know lest he'd end up sitting in a corner trying to shut away the world outside.

Heller's groan pulled him back. “Fine, fine. Yeah, got it.” He was making a face that looked like he'd been forced to kick a puppy as he turned his focus to them. “Your brother's being an asshole, you know that?”

“I was aware”, Dana replied. “What did he say?”

“He said it would be easiest to get the information directly from him”, the Evolved grumbled. “He suggested he'd talk to you.” He grimaced. “Using me as proxy.”

Cole shuddered. “Shit, he can use you like you're a loud speaker?”

“Something of the sort.” The man exhaled once and slumped his shoulders. Cole could see the moment Alex took over, because Heller's eyes turned from dark brown to silvery blue, and he couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down his back when he started to speak. It was still Heller's voice, but unmistakably _Alex_ speaking.

“I'll make this quick or else I have to endure his bitching the whole time”, Alex told them with a frown. “Anyways, the machine she was hooked up to- at its core it was a transfer device. Bertrand had Wolfe make it for him. That's probably why he had him killed, so he wouldn't be able to tell us how it works.”

“Transfer?” Cole's head snapped up. “Like...transferring Conduit powers?”

“Exactly.” He spaced out for a moment. “Far I can tell from the data, it is a prototype too. There's supposed to be at least one other.”

“What does it do?” The Electric Conduit rubbed his chin thoughtfully, glancing back at Kuo's form- or, more specifically, the mist rising from her arms and freezing the humidity in the air.

“You already know it”, Alex told him simply. “Kuo is an Ice Conduit. The guys that escaped the compounds had ice powers.”

“So they transferred her powers to these guys?” Dana questioned. “Like, she has the main program and everybody else got a bootleg?”

“Correct” He furrowed his brows even deeper. Heller's face was made for scowling. “None of them are Lesser Conduits, either. They're human with Conduit powers.” He shook his head. “By all means, this shouldn't have been possible, though I guess the residue radiation of the Core changed _something_. Data suggests as much too, but it's inconclusive on the entire matter.” He shrugged. “I'll keep digging.”

“Alex”, Cole winced slightly, because that face _wasn't_ Alex's. “What had Bertrand done to her?”

The other's brows came down. “You sure you want to hear it?”

Cole shrugged tensely. “The more motivation I get to kick his ass, the better.”

He glanced at Dana for a brief moment, then turned his attention back to him. “Not sure how they knew she had the gene, but they started draining her of her blood as soon they had her in that lab- which forced her body into activating her abilities in order to survive. After that, she was weakened enough so they hooked her up to the machine.”

“And then they transferred her powers over to these other guys?”

“Yes” Alex fell silent for a moment, attention briefly somewhere else, before he turned back to them. “These men- Vermaak 88- they are mercenaries. But I doubt they knew they were going to be part of the experiments themselves. The entries suggest they were drugged and placed in those containment pods, ready to obtain a Conduit's abilities.”

“ _A_ Conduit?” Cole's eyes narrowed. “Kuo wasn't the target?”

“Not directly. She was just the one they caught”, Alex pointed out. “I think Bertrand would have been satisfied too if he had gotten you or Nix. But since she had the gene, yet wasn't activated, she was the easiest target.”

Cole growled in his throat, forcing his lightning back so he wouldn't flip his shit.

“Why did he stick Conduit powers to mercs?” Dana demanded to know.

“That's not in here”, Alex answered. “I'd guess we get that either from his personal files, or Bertrand himself.”

“Where is this second transfer device?”

“No idea at the moment. I'd say one of Bertrand's other bases.” He cocked his head. “What are you thinking?”

“If it can copy powers, do you think it can detract them?”

Alex shook his head. “Thinking about removing the Beast's abilities? Won't work. It can, however, possibly add powers from one Conduit to another one. Since it worked with humans, it will work with Conduits.”

Cole nodded slowly. That had applications, he figured. “Good. Get whatever you can find on that computer, then destroy everything. We'll find Bertrand and we will make him pay.”

“You got that right”, Alex's influence faded quickly, leaving Heller just staring blankly for a moment, before he frowned. “I have the feeling it's not going to be _that_ easy. However, he did find the possible position of another Blast Core.”

Dana cocked her head. “Where?”

“Somewhere in Ascension Parish. No detailed location, but it should be near the largest amount of armed idiots.” He eyed Cole. “You going to check it out?”

“Yes, but”, he turned to look at Kuo. “Not yet. First I have to make sure she's okay.”

* * *

Alex had spent a good few hours in the freezing cold of the laboratory, and as a result, felt rather lethargic the moment he finally hauled ass and left. He still had managed to acquire a vast amount of data, along with the blue prints of the transfer device and several notes to current and planned experiments.

He also learnt how to deal with stagnant sub-zero air at least. He figured if there had been a breeze, it would have been worse, but without any draft his rough insulation made of a heat exchanger under his Armor was better than nothing. He felt uncomfortably stiff, and the late afternoon heat was more like a sledgehammer to the face as soon as he got out. He still took it in a heartbeat, and he loosened his surface briefly to let the half frozen tendrils soak up the warmth out here while he turned back into his default shape, not the modified daylight form.

Nobody was around anyways. Alex just rolled his shoulders, turned back to the shack and knelt down to jab his claws into the ground, unraveling most of his mass into it. He felt the moment they made contact with the subterranean walls, scoffed briefly- and slammed them through, crushing steel and concrete to dust. The ground beneath shook slightly as his Ground Spikes ate through the construction.

Alex pulled them back as soon he knew that down there nothing remained in one piece, then got up. It was very late already, he noticed.

_You still with Cole?_

Heller shivered briefly, even through their connection.  _“Yeah. Kept an eye out, figured that maybe Bertrand would be pissed enough to send his guys after us.”_

_Did he?_

“ _Nope. Guess he focused on his guys first.”_

_How is Kuo?_

“ _Asleep now. Wonder for how long.”_

_The others?_

“ _Dunbar, Dana and MacGrath are still there. Nix left a few hours ago, said she was going to take a nap at her place.”_

_You heard from Cross?_

“ _Yeah. Blackwatch would like to meet you later tonight. Pool information. With those ice guys around, I guess they finally lost their patience.”_

Alex furrowed his brows briefly, threw one last look at the ravaged area, before he kicked off and headed back to their hideout. He made sure he didn't go the direct way but rather backtracked a few times and went into complete opposite directions to throw off any potential onlookers. Before he hit the roof, he buffered his jump into a glide and set down gently. Cole and Heller had already noticed him from several blocks away, and Dana had noticed his approach too. Dunbar was probably the only one startled.

Alex didn't dawdle long on greeting. He walked up to the table in the middle of the roof and loosened his cohesion enough so he could pull all pieces he scavenged straight out of the middle of his chest. Only Dunbar winced at the sight, though Cole seemed to become a little pale, while Dana just watched with mild interest.

“That everything?”

“Well, I could have hauled the transfer device here”, Alex pointed out. “But the blueprints were much easier to carry.”

“I can guess”, Dana mumbled, already reaching for the hard drive of the computer. “I'll just hook this up. You want to check it with me?”

He shook his head. “I just spent a good few hours freezing my ass off while looking at that stuff. I'll be more comfortable warming up.” He rolled his shoulders, eying Cole. “I would have figured that you would have jumped at the Blast Core in Ascension Parish the moment you hear of it.”

The Conduit shook his head. “I got a little more restraint than that. Also, I didn't feel comfortable leaving Kuo out of my sight just yet.” He glanced back at her. “But I guess she finally wore herself out- plus three sleeping pills at once. Last time we checked her temperature was up too.”

“'Up' being figuratively”, Dana threw in from the computer. “She's still at under freezing, but at least not that far below anymore.”

“What she said”, he crossed his arms and locked eyes with Alex. “So, you want to come along while I go to Ascension Parish, or do you want to get a blanket and take a nap?”

“Movement's a better way to warm up”, the Runner replied, then cocked his head. “When are you going to get some sleep?”

“Slept the whole time before, so I got some more time to walk around.” He shrugged one shoulder towards the darkening sky. “Pretty sure we should check up the Core now.”

Alex nodded. “If that is what you want to do, then let's do it.” He motioned to the east where Ascension Parish lay. “Bertrand's men cut the power over in the Parish. You might find it tough to deal with them without energy.” Cole was very much depending on the surrounding energy fields, after all. If there was no electricity around, his own attacks were weaker, regardless on whether he had a full battery or not.

Cole only scoffed in reaction. “So? Then I have to put them back online.”

Heller snorted suddenly. “And what am I? Chopped liver?” He glared at Alex. “You shouldn't forget that  _you_ asked for  _my_ presence, and now you stand back and ignore my presence?”

_I was going to get to you._ Alex bit back, only realizing when Heller reeled slightly that he had spoken through the Hive Mind, not with his normal voice. That was...worrisome? He hadn't triggered it, just slipped into it- but he was aware he wasn't losing control. Or, at least, it didn't feel like he was losing control. It should have been a warning sign- or was it a sign he was evolving further? He wasn't sure, though the latter was possible- Blacklight wouldn't further its own abilities unless it was put under stress that forced it to evolve. Right now, the situation was ideal for a progress like that.

With a scoff, he shook his head, refusing to be concerned by it when he turned his attention back to the Evolved. This time, he had to focus on actually  _speaking_ . “I was going to tell you to meet back up with Cross. I want to know where these Corrupted are hiding, and utilizing Blackwatch to fight against monsters is a good idea to get the correct kind of attention.” He folded his arms behind his back. “Also, Nix told us that there are some people who aren't okay with the Militia. Try to find them too, we could need all allies we can get in order to get these idiots off our backs and focus on the Blast Cores.”

Heller's eyes were narrow. “I can do that. But what exactly have you planned?”

Alex shrugged. “Mostly just tagging along to see whether I can get one redneck who's higher up in the food chain.” While the uniforms barely gave any hint as to which man had a different rank, he had realized that there were other ways to identify them. The quality of the weapons, the position of the person in question, maybe even body modifications such as haircut and tattoos. Of course, that wasn't  _foolproof_ , but he could deal with accidentally grabbing some of the other guys. They were assholes, after all.

“And not mostly?”

_Not mostly? I'm thinking of doing a little redecoration in this place._

Heller swore under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You better know what you are doing.”

“Oh, I do.” Mostly. He had a certain idea already about what he could do, and he was pretty sure that it was going to work the way he intended it to. He was going to pay close attention, however. “You okay with leaving the fun part to us?”

“Fun part?” Heller arched an eyebrow. “What's so fun about switching the energy back on?”

“Oh, you know”, Cole waved him off. “There's going to be lightning everywhere, and we're going to be shot at by hicks. The usual stuff.”

* * *

“That was kind of a weird look”, Cole said out loud. Originally, he wanted to keep it to himself, but it was just too weird to not voice it.

“What did you expect?” Alex gave back, vaulting over an air conditioner with enough momentum to cross the entire roof. “He's a soldier. His first directive is to find cover and hold his position, not run right into the gunfire like we pair of idiots.”

“I resent that! I got my shield to protect myself, and I don't like being shot at either.”

“That still doesn't stop you from seeking confrontation.”

Cole opened his mouth to protest. And blinked. And closed it again. Alex was right- he really did look for trouble instead of trying to get out of its way. “What about the substations?” He asked instead of arguing a lost point. “Where is the sewer grate we have to get through?”

“There isn't one”, Alex pointed out. “New Marais's sewage system is not the place for the substations.” He stopped atop a building and waved his hand at a large box sitting in a side street. “New Marais' energy system is made up of several above-ground distributors like that one. If you activate one, you'll have energy in a part of the area.”

“That would have the advantage that you wouldn't need to power up the whole place at one go”, Cole realized.

“Exactly”

“How do you get these things up and running?”

“Similar to the ones in the Historic District. They have a built-in security switch that even works when they had been shut down manually like Bertrand's men had done. If the system registers a sudden spike in energy, it should restart the device in question after a short moment. Had been installed in order to avoid a total black-out.”

“Spike of energy, huh?” Cole rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and let a few sparks dance over his fingers. “I can do that.” He eyed the other. “You know where the distributors are sitting?”

“I do.”

“Good, that's all I need to know. Get me to the closest activated distributor, and we can start this party.”

Alex just inclined his head and motioned for him to follow as he led the way unerringly through the east part of the main city. Cole sensed the transformer before he could see it, could sense the energy writhing inside his head. To his eyes, it was pretty underwhelming when they found it, no more than a caged-in piece of machinery with the signs of 'Danger! High Voltage!' attached to it. He ignored the signs and just dug his fingers in.

“Oh yeah”, he grunted when electricity surged through his body. “That's the stuff.”

Alex arched one eyebrow under his hood. “You need a moment?”

“Just tell me where the next distributor is”, the Conduit told him. “I'd like to try something.”

The Runner just motioned across the last line of buildings and the canal behind them. “Between six hundred meters and a kilometer, give or take some.”

“Okay”, Cole squinted into the upcoming dusk, trying to imagine the transformer. It was probably going to look very similar, would it? He gathered energy directly from the transformer into his hand, forming a massive white orb of crackling energy, not unlike his so-called Megawatt Hammer. And with one difference: This one was even larger, and still connected to him through a line of pure electricity.

Cole closed his eyes, imagining himself seeing through the energy- and fired it blindly into the direction Alex told him.

He couldn't describe it- it was like he was there and then wasn't, like he was high up above them and on the ground at the same time. He couldn't  _see_ in the closer meaning of the word, but he was aware, knew exactly where to go and what to do. He could sense the energy (or lack of it) below him, could sense the water, the suburbs, knew exactly where the transformer was.

He focused on that, knew he was getting closer- and was torn back to reality the moment he collided with the transformer. He shook his head briefly to clear it, then eyed Alex. “Did it work?”

The Runner briefly vanished, kicking off the ground to leap high into the air before he came back down with a solid  _crack_ . “Light's coming on”, he confirmed. Then frowned. “What  _was_ that?”

“I dunno”, Cole frowned. “How did it look like?”

“Like a large ball lightning”, Alex told him. “With two smaller ones circling it. It flew through the streets, made curves I didn't know where possible.” He narrowed his eyes in thought. “And it was still attached to you with a line of electricity. You controlled it, didn't you?”

Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “I tried to imagine myself in it, and somehow it worked? I guess I somehow got this idea from Sasha. She could sense anything that was attached to her tar, right?” He blinked at Alex's leer. “Right, you  _do_ know.”

“It was impressive”, the Runner admitted after a moment. “And it has applications- you can basically form a Hive Mind on your own.”

Cole beamed, then started walking into the direction of the transformer. “Yeah, but that's something for a later time to think about. Come on, we gotta stop these hicks from shutting it down before it can build up charge.”

Alex snorted. “Try to catch up then.” He charged right past the Conduit, building speed within three steps and disappearing somewhere. Cole cursed under his breath and sped after him, leaping clear over the small canal (still had to hover to avoid falling into the water), and dashed along the sleepy little suburban streets in the west part of New Marais. From afar he already heard the yells and shots that were gradually shut down and replaced for groans the closer he came.

The last idiot dropped to the floor the moment he arrived, but all of them seemed to be alive, if knocked out and their legs broken. He made a face when Alex stalked through the rows, paused besides a guy- and crushed his throat to consume him.

“Was that really necessary?”

“I told you, I wanted to pick off the leaders”, the Runner replied simply. “Be glad I left the others alive.” He simply pointed at the transformer, then moved his finger into a different direction. “Next one is over there, three blocks away.”

* * *

Robert Cross wasn't sure what the Hell he was doing in the New Marais slums in full uniform and with only Heller as back-up. He wasn't afraid of the Militia, or even the Corrupted- but having his team on him would have been a better choice than going mostly alone. On the other hand, since that episode at the public speech his team had a viable excuse for shooting the Runner first, and he seriously didn't have time for that nonsense. So he agreed to go and talk with him on his own, meeting the Evolved on the way.

When they walked into the city, Cross noticed that they weren't heading towards the Smut Triangle, but rather to the east where Ascension Parish was. “He there?”

“Coming closer, actually-” Heller cut himself off, eyes narrowing briefly before his skin turned rough and scaly and claws broke through skin. Cross knew better than to argue with him, just unlatched the safety of his handgun and drew the stun baton from its holster.

Then the first Swamp Beasts charged from the underbrush cutting off the city from the swamp, screaming as they lunged at them.

Heller jumped within the blink of an eye and collided with a large rhinoceros-like one in mid-air, knocking it to the ground with enough strength to crater the street beneath and flatten a car and the beast. The Evolved whirled on his heel the next moment, grabbed two more Corrupted and slammed them together so hard they turned into mist.

If the others noticed, they didn't change course or even slow down. Cross grunted and ducked under the wide swing of one of them, then jammed his stun baton deep into another's throat and flicked the switch. The discharge made the thing jerk back roughly, the voltage throwing its system out of the loop long enough for the Specialist to shoot it into its head twice to drop it.

Heller grabbed one that tried to leap on him from behind and slammed it into two others to shatter their bodies. The Specialist didn't bother to thank him, just yanked his rifle free and took down another swamp beast with a short burst of fire.

Then came the lightning. Its intensity took his sight for a moment, so the next thing he saw was MacGrath using his staff weapon against three Corrupted at once, slamming them backwards with a brutal swing. He didn't stop spinning, though, used the momentum to finish another circle and flicked the Amp to the side, summoning a God-to-honest  _tornado_ of ashes and lightning that flung the targeted Corrupted far across the street.  
They didn't hit the ground, though, because Mercer lunged at them out of nowhere, claws ripping through them as he tore them apart and consumed them within seconds. Without breaking his motion, he lunged at another rhino-like creature next and consumed it too, then proceeded to sweep up the rest of them in mere  _moments_ . None of these things had a chance, and the last blood splatters hit the ground mere seconds later. Only blood, because the Runner certainly didn't feel generous to leave them in once piece, consumed all of them instead in a flurry of tentacles and a spray of gore.

Heller made a noise in the back of his throat, drawing his attention away from the Runner to a young woman that was following them. Cross had never seen her, and she didn't look like she was the usual crowd either- not with the way she was warily eying the few carcasses and her companions, though still caught up to MacGrath and hid behind his frame.

The Specialist cocked his head, glancing at MacGrath. “Who's that?”

MacGrath snorted. “No 'Hey, nice to meet you'? No 'Good work with the Swamp Monsters'?”

Cross just stared at him blankly. The younger threw his hands up in an universal gesture of 'Fine, you win'. He gestured loosely to the woman. “Her name's Sara. We just freed her.”

“You already freed a lot civilians”, Heller pointed out. “What is different with her?”

“She was supposed to be a sacrifice”, Mercer scoffed.

“Sacrifice?” That got Cross's attention.

“I got the team leader who strung her up”, the other simply pointed out. “And he told me a lot.”

“These assholes”, MacGrath spat, “They were going to feed Sara to some large Swamp Monster. They were doing it for quite some time already, too keep them under control.”

“Wait”, Cross's eyes narrowed. “ _Why_ should they feed these things to control them if they had them under control in the first place?”

“They either don't have as much control as they think”, Mercer pointed out, “Or they weren't controlling them in the first place- in this case, we'll need to look elsewhere for the Conduit responsible for these things.”

“Anything on the Hive Mind?”

He shook his head. “So far, I haven't found one. Mostly they work on instinct and senses- anything that's not a Swamp Beast is fair game, but somehow they are trained to not attack the Militia.” He snorted amused. “Which is the main reason for those ridiculous uniforms. Bright colors makes the men more noticeable-” He cut himself off, head snapping to the side when a distant rumble became audible. “We shouldn't dawdle”, he growled.

“Please”, the girl managed to grit out despite shaking like a leaf, “We have to find Uncle Laroche.”

She started stumbling down the street, followed closely by MacGrath. Cross eyed her for a moment, then simply followed her too. “I think I recognize that name. Laroche, that was the leader of the resistance, right?”

“He is”, Mercer confirmed.

“We're not sure whether Laroche would even _want_ to work with us”, MacGrath added, “But like that, he is going to listen at least. Plus we get to kick the Militia in the balls and save people from being eaten.”

Something growled again in the distance, and the Conduit grimaced. “Also, I think it is good for luring whatever that thing is into a better place to kill it.”

Cross could deal with that, and slightly picked up his pace to get next to Mercer. “While we're going to meet Mr. Laroche, we can talk.” He casually lifted his rifle and mowed down two more Corrupted that tried to sneak up on them. “It's not like we have anything important to do right now.”

Mercer scoffed. “Wolfe's dead”, he muttered.

The Specialist just arched a brow. “The man that you came here to meet?”

“Bertrand's men killed him, abducted agent Kuo.”

“Shit”

“We got her back, at least”, the other continued, “But without Wolfe, we need to figure things out from scratch. However”, he paused briefly and kicked a car into the general direction of a few Militia hicks, who instantly dove to the side and escaped the area. “When we found Kuo, we also discovered some technology and blueprints designed by Wolfe. I think it would be possible to cross-reference those with the RFI, to try to figure out how it works.”

The Colonel grunted- it sounded logical, though he wouldn't even know where to begin. Wasn't his job anyways.

“Kuo's a Conduit now too”, the Runner added. “Still out of it, though.”

The older man scoffed. “It's just one after the other.”

“The Beast?”

“Is on the way here, at least that's what HQ says. So far, it had shrugged off every attempt we made. That alone is already bad, but the wind has turned too.” Radiation was sweeping like a cloud across the states, killing thousands in its path. “Worse even, whenever the Beast hits a town, it blows it to Hell, spraying even more of this shit into the atmosphere. We can't stop it, can barely slow it down and when we get too close, our guys croak too.”

“Iodine should work-”

“It doesn't. Slows down the effect, but this isn't _radioactive_ radiation. It doesn't destroy the genetic makeup, it _adds_ to it- and most of the people get violently sick before they die a week later because they just can't deal with it.”

Mercer clicked his tongue. “Shit.”

“It gets better”, Cross snorted again. “Doctor Wolfe had a lot of these Blast Cores and Blast Shards in his lab, right? Well, this stuff's spread across the city now. Same effect, if more localized.”

The Runner stopped briefly. “How many are dead?”

“Last count? Over a hundred. Bodies are piling up faster than the officials can do anything, and they already got enough on their plate. We'd need the army to help here, but as long Bertrand has his finger on the city, they won't come in.”

“So remove Bertrand then.”

“Would be the best idea. Plus”, he jabbed his thumb at a bunch of Militia soldiers, seconds before MacGrath mowed them down with lightning. “These guys shouldn't be a problem then anymore.”

Another few goons tried to stop them, but before either of them turned towards them, a group of civilians knocked them out. So, there really were a few people in the city that didn't like these hicks either.

“Rebels”, Sara breathed, “Then we're close.” She motioned towards them to follow her. “Come, Uncle holds court in Leo Park, and with me they won't shoot at you.”

She hurried to the front, waving her arms the moment they reached a circular street with a park-like inside and a lion statue in its middle. “Uncle Laroche! Uncle!”

Cross could see several civilians peeking up, and one of them rushing towards them. “Sara! Are you-?!” He hugged her tightly.

“It was so horrible. They tried to feed me to it”, she told him with a shudder. “I just-”

The man grimaced slightly. “I understood why they were making these sacrifices- but not with my kin.”

The woman stepped back. “What? You-”

“You knew?” MacGrath growled, cutting her off. “And you didn't think about changing it?”

Laroche eyed him. “We can't stand up to this thing, we don't have a chance-” He blinked when realization set in. “You're that MacGrath fella. The Demon of Empire City. You've been at the plantation, whooping the Militia's asses-”

“I've also just _saved_ your niece's life and with my friends here took down a whole bunch of these things”, the Conduit scoffed, crossing his arms defiantly in front of his chest. “So I'd say you owe us one.”

Laroche groaned. “I am not sure yet- because if this thing doesn't get fed, it will rampage through the city. Killing hundreds.”

“So?” Cross snorted, hands on his hips. “Then we'll kill it. Simple.”

“It can't be killed!” The man snapped. “It is too large, too powerful-”

“Pretty sure we killed bigger already”, Heller threw in simply, idly kicking a pebble over the ground.

“Look”, MacGrath said, “Point is- we want the same. You want the Militia out of your house, I get tired being shot at the entire time. And we'll throw in a bonus and wipe out these swamp monsters too, what do you say?”

“I'd say we better begin right now”, Mercer cut in before Laroche could answer. His arms turned into his claws in a flurry of tendrils. “We're getting visitors.”

“Now? Figured they'd be faster”, Heller snorted, flexing his own claws and also turning his attention into the same direction the Runner was looking.

Cross became aware of the trembling that went through the floor, and slowly turned to face into the direction of the swamp. MacGrath did too, then inhaled sharply. “ _That_ is a pretty big guy.”

He was true on that one- something  _big_ peeled out of the fog that swept over from the swamps, and it was accompanied by several of the smaller rhinoceros-like beasts and the humanoid critters. Cross just arched one eyebrow, then lazily flicked the safety off on his arm-mounted grenade launcher. 

“That's it?” He questioned simply. “The Goliaths were larger.” Twice the height easily, and _a lot_ faster.

“Yep, and they died all the same”, Mercer confirmed. He was bouncing on his heels, then swayed back with a glance at MacGrath. “You want the honors?”

“Well, I'd like to”, the Conduit squinted at the massive creature. “Ah, but I don't know whether I can get through the armor.”

Cross just cocked his head, glancing briefly at the titan barreling down the street towards them and the smaller corrupted crowding around its feet. He took special note of its body- four tree-trunk-like limbs took its weight, and its whole body was protected by chitinous plates. Like an Armored Hive racing towards them- but around its head region the shell looked thinner, flexible- and his suspicion was proved to be correct when it stopped briefly and roared, plates moving aside to reveal a giant toothed maw.

“Then shoot its mouth”, he pointed out simply. “If they are too tough outside, try it from the inside.” He fired a grenade at the center of the smaller beasts, and the incendiary ammunition ate through five of them at once, injured four more. And the injured ones were subsequently ran over and crushed under the titan's frame.

“Nice”, he heard Heller's voice, “If we can lure it around, it'll do our job for us.”

“Yeah, help the kid”, Cross ordered. “I'll cover you. Mercer, you the others.”

The Runner grinned. “Oh, with pleasure.” He kicked off with enough force to make Laroche stumble- and threw his body right into the middle of the fray, claws blazing as he ripped the things apart like they were made of wet paper.

MacGrath and Heller rushed them too, but altered their course in the last moment to get to the big one, Cross just planted his feet and fired another grenade into the crowd, taking down one of the rhino-like ones.

The titan roared, then spat orbs of goop at them, forcing them to dodge to the side. Cross wrinkled his nose at the stench those things emitted- smelled a lot like half-digested food.  _Great_ , he thought,  _It's throwing up on us._

Another reason to kill it, he figured. Apparently, MacGrath thought so too, because he aimed his palm at its still open mouth and fired several bolts of lightning right into its gums. The titan rumbled and shook its frame, closing its jaws with a distinct  _clack_ of its plates snapping together. Heller rushed it, kicking off the floor and slamming his Hammerfists into the thing's head with enough force to shake its entire body and crack its armor in several places. It reared and roared, only to swallow a car MacGrath catapulted right into its face. 

Then Cross turned his attention to the smaller Corrupted. Mercer was currently wrestling with a larger rhino-thing, then wrenched it off the ground and slammed it into the floor with enough force to crack its spine, so it didn't offer any resistance to being consumed by the Runner.

Another pack tried to swarm him in that moment, and the Specialist simply fired into the crowd several times to draw their attention and injure them- and the tentacles grabbed and tore them apart as well.  
If he or his team weren't at the receiving end of this, it was fucking beautiful, he had to admit.

Then Mercer just stopped, and Heller tensed for a moment before he grabbed MacGrath and yanked him off his feet to carry him several yards away from their adversary- seconds before the Runner  _exploded_ into a tightly packed ball of tendrils and spears that turned whatever they met into fine mist. The titan wailed in pain, though its armor offered enough resistance to barely withstand the blow- but with holes in its shell MacGrath had a point to pry from. He formed balls of lightning in his palms and just threw them over so they attached themselves to the beast and exploded a few seconds later in a brilliant discharge and an ear-splitting thunderclap. 

The titan reeled, jaw snapping open as its tongue shot out like a whip- Heller easily side-stepped, grabbed the organ and simply ripped it out at the root in one movement. The beast reared and shrieked in agony, choking on its own blood in the process.

Mercer slammed into its head and burrowed both claws into its maw, tendrils rising from his flesh to sink into the titan's body, flooding it with active viral agents. Cross's eyebrows shot upwards, because this thing should be far over his limit, but as it collapsed to the ground and was subsequently eaten, he had to correct his previous thought because apparently, he  _could_ store this entire thing away. 

Mercer casually brushed his pants off. Heller rolled his shoulders and flicked some saliva off his claws. MacGrath whooped. “Hell yeah! We got this down!”

Cross simply turned to Laroche, who hadn't moved an inch and was just  _staring_ . “I think this qualifies our claims.”

“Shit”, the man breathed. “That _more_ than qualifies 'em.” He eyed the Colonel. “I still don't like what you're selling, but you do know how to wipe the floor with giant monsters. And frankly, I guess my guys are kind of worshiping you already.” He motioned briefly to his men, who were staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed. “So yeah, I'm listening. You need any help, just let us know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First big monster, no problem when you already took down things bigger.  
> I honestly haven't realized that the place was called 'Leo Court', because there was a Lion statue in the middle.
> 
> Quick question, though: Is it 'Out of character' if you take a rather unfinished character and add a bit more flavor to them? In other words, write believable figures instead of what we got in-Game?


	16. Conduit, not Human

Cole was feeling rather giddy, if he was honest with himself. But that had been his first giant monster, so he had every right to to be in high spirits.  
More even, they finally located someone in the middle of New Marais who they could actually  _talk_ to- somebody who wasn't an idiot like the hicks were, and who wasn't a blind sheep like the remaining population was. 

Laroche was currently talking to Colonel Blackwatch- and he didn't even notice how the man drained him of the information he wanted just by asking the right questions. Another note on that, he thought, take care when talking to Blackwatch. Or better,  _never_ talk to Blackwatch at all unless he really needed them. The question was, of course,  _would_ he even need them? They were perfectly human, and as such vastly inferior to Conduits, weren't they? But then again- he had seen how Colonel Blackwatch took care of the Corrupted, and he knew that back at the public speech the Wisemen had done a much better job than even him- containing the monsters a lot easier than the Militia- and the Militia had the advantage that these things were programmed to  _not_ attack them.

So maybe...trust that Blackwatch was capable enough to give them backup?

Cole's brows drew together. “Hey, Cross?”

The Colonel inclined his head, eyes focusing on him. Cole inhaled once. “You think you and your guys are ready to take down the swamp beasts? I mean, you did a pretty good job with the smaller things-”

“Won't be a problem”, the man replied. “Now that we have proof that there is some form of infected running amok, we can finally call the shots.”

“What?” Laroche's eyes widened. “Infection- what are you talking about?”

“The Swamp Beasts”, Alex threw in, “They used to be human. And- but this is only a theory we have- the Militia's captive 'Deviants' are the main stock for these things. Until now, we can't be certain about how exactly the infection process is working, but it probably isn't through simple contact.”

“There must be a Hive Queen or something that is responsible for the transformation”, Colonel Blackwatch added. “And locating it will be our first priority.” He gestured to Alex and Heller. “These two will assist you in fighting the Corrupted themselves, but unless we destroy their Queen, it will only be tackling the symptoms.” 

“But we can slow it down”, Laroche noticed. “If the Militia doesn't get any more 'deviants', they can't turn them into the Swamp Beasts, right?”

“Yes. And that is going to be your job. Keep the civilians away from these things and away from the Militia. However”, The man's permanent scowl deepened. “The problem is the people. If they get wind of what we're thinking, they'll turn into a vicious mob, regardless of whether our suspicions are correct or not.”

“So lie to the people to protect them”, Heller added. “Until we got the proof of what's going on. And by then, we should already have everything under control.”

Laroche let out a long and heavy sigh. “I get what you're sayin', but I don't like it a bit.” He sighed again. “Fine, I'll do it. Just gonna tell my guys to keep the people away from the swamp beasts and the Militia, get back everyone they kidnapped.”

“You need help, contact me”, Colonel Blackwatch told him. “My team and I can be boots on the ground anywhere in the city in five.”

“I'm in too”, Cole threw in. “Give the word and I'll open a can of ass-kicking on whoever you point me at.” 

“Will do”, Laroche agreed, then motioned for his men to leave. The Militia was going to check things up soon enough, so it would be best if they were gone by then. Same for the others. Cole went to walk besides Alex as they too sidled down the street. “Hey, you said there was a Blast Core somewhere around here? You have any idea where?”

“Not really. But I know it'll be closest to a bunch of hicks with guns, so I'd suggest-” He cut himself off when Cole's phone chimed. He answered it.

“Yeah?”

“ _Hey, Cole”_ , Zeke's voice sounded excited. _“You'll never guess what happened!”_

“You found another Blast Core?”

“ _Nope, but Kuo's up and about.”_

Cole blinked. “Already?”

“ _Yup, and she wanted to meet you at the cemetery.”_

“Sure?”

“ _'nother thing”_ , Zeke added. _“Alex there?”_

“Yeah”

“ _Good”_ There was the sound of shuffling on the other side, and Dana's voice pitched in. _“You move your ass over here”_ , she huffed out angrily. _“Leaving me with this stuff you nicked from Bertrand- I'm not an astrophysicist, Alex!”_

Alex snorted amused. “I'll come over.” He glanced back at Heller and Colonel Blackwatch. “You can deal?”

“Against a bunch of hicks and a few infected? Please, you're not giving us enough credit.”

“All I wanted to hear”, Alex turned and left. Cole figured he was excused too and hurried off himself, heading towards the graveyard that made up most of the canal-facing side of the Ascension Parish. He was feeling a bit anxious about meeting Kuo- by all means she should still be recovering (he needed weeks to wake), and he couldn't help but wonder whether she would blame him for what happened. It was a very real possibility, one he didn't want to think about too hard, but he still tried to prepare for it.

On the other hand, he was giddy about the prospect of meeting her and figuring out how she took to her powers. And if his meeting with Nix had been any indication, then it was damn  _fun_ to work with a Conduit that didn't try to kill him.

The cemetery was pretty much empty at this time of the night, but as he climbed over the surrounding walls, the scent of decay that hit him was very much overwhelming. He briefly wrinkled his nose, then headed towards an iron gate in the middle of the complex, pushing it open when he saw the lithe figure of Kuo sitting on a grave.

He cleared his throat. “Kuo”

She looked at him surprised. He just arched an eyebrow as she got up to face him. She looked a lot thinner than she'd done before, mostly because she wasn't wearing her jacket anymore. Her heels had been swapped for flat shoes, and she was wearing a sleeveless crop-top with a snowflake imprinted to the lower right side, and a pair of dark slacks. Her hair had a distinct blue shine to it and was styled into a way that looked a lot like Dana's, if a lot less spiky. She also wore blue lipstick and blusher. Her eyes were blue like ice and highlighted with blue eyeshadow. Mist was constantly rising from her blue hands and forearms. Pretty much blue in her overall appearance, and Cole figured that both Dana and Sherry had a hand in it.

Other than that, she seemed to have herself back together. Pretty impressive, considering they pulled her out of that place a scant nine hours ago. He grinned at her. “Well, that is a really new look for you.”

She blinked, then glanced down at herself. “You like it?”

Cole critically eyed her, but the grin on his face was enough to tell her he wasn't entirely serious. “You're forgot a cape, but, ah, don't you think it's a little extreme?” Pretty big makeover for somebody who apparently  _lived_ in a two-piece suit and heels.

She shrugged. “I'm nearly a hundred percent sure I'm not an agent anymore. So I have to be somebody else, I guess. Plus Zeke thought it was looking good.”

“Zeke thinks anything female showing stomach looks good”, Cole pointed out. “I think I like the fact more that you are up and about.” He eyed her critically. “You alright?”

She grimaced for a very short moment, then instantly tried to play it down. “I'm fine. Fine. It's cute you care-”

“You were tortured”, Cole cut her off sternly. “And God knows what else they've done to you. Please don't overexert yourself just because you think you owe me anything.”

She swallowed. “I...don't want to do nothing. I don't want to be alone with my thoughts. I want to get back at him just as much as you. I want to look him in the eyes.”

He could understand it, just bowed his head slightly. Kuo carefully reached for him, probably to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but accidentally touched his cheek instead-

It  _burned_ . It was so cold, it  _burned_ . Cole swore and jerked back, and she flinched back violently too, eyes wide. “I'm sorry- I didn't--”

Kuo ducked and wrung her fingers together, eyes darting anywhere but him- Cole grunted and felt his cheek, feeling the tingling sensation slowly fade. “Hey, don't worry. You don't have them under control- I get it.”

“You don't get it- you got your powers in an explosion, it was over in a flash! What they did to me was slow, and now you don't understand-”

“I do”, he cut her off before she could start a panic attack or something. “When I woke up in that crater, everything _hurt_ , and I was so afraid and I couldn't figure out what had happened- when I dragged myself back to Zeke and Trish, I lost consciousness. When I woke again I caused a blackout in the clinic I was in. I was so afraid of hurting Zeke or Trish, I didn't want to do anything other than making it _end_.” He cocked his head at her defeated expression. “I adapted, had no chance other than to do, it's hard to get these powers under control, but I went through it too. I bet Nix can tell you the same, so you aren't alone in this. And Bertrand will pay for it, believe me- but for that, you have to learn how to control your powers.” He noticed her rubbing her upper arms, and arched one eyebrow. “And hey- you're not freezing yourself right now, so you have that going for you. Not like my dumb ass, I zapped myself and knocked out the power when I first tried to shower.”

“I'm probably likely to end up freezing the shower and bust a few pipes.”

He shrugged. “Happens to the best of us. You can start with a washcloth, until you leave the plumbing alone, okay?”

Kuo exhaled shakily. “Okay. Okay.” She swallowed once and glanced at him. “When do we start?” It was more likely that she wasn't really enthused about the idea of having those powers, but understood that she had to exert control instead of letting them run rampant.

Cole inclined his head, letting lightning run over his arms. “We'll start right now. The sooner you get this under control, the better. Let's see what you can do asides from pipe bursting.”

Kuo furrowed her brows. “I think I can fly?”

“Fly?” He blinked. “Show me.”

Kuo nodded and walked away a few steps, inhaled once- then hopped into the air, curled up- and turned into icy mist that raced several feet across the cemetery where she easily reformed. “That's pretty cool, huh?”

Cole blinked again. “Yeah, and props for that pun too, but if you're trying to make me jealous, it worked.” He thought for a moment, then sent out a radar pulse to check whether they were alone. “You know, when Nix and I batted around the hicks, our powers kind of combined. Like, she did her thing and I did mine, and the combined effect was better than what either of us would have managed on their own.”

“Combining powers?” She thought about it for a moment. “Sounds useful. We just need someone to...beat up to try it?”

“Or you shoot a few attacks at me, see if something happens.” Her expression became startled, and he just shrugged. “Stronger Conduits already attacked me, and no offense or anything, but they've been better than you are now.” He spread his arms. “Go on, just go with what feels naturally. Try it.”

“I don't-” She cut herself off, eyes narrowing just as Cole felt a tug at the back of his mind. “Militia”

“Yup. So...better targets?”

She made a face. “Cover me.”

“With pleasure.”

They quickly jogged to where they sensed a couple of guys hanging around. Cole clicked his tongue. “Loitering in a cemetery at night? Tsk.”

Kuo swallowed nervously, then leapt upwards and turned into her misty form, rushing to where the men stood, reformed herself and threw her palm to the front- and generating a cloud of mist that enveloped the guys and instantly took their sight. The men were startled, and Cole could see the grass and stones nearby already crusting over. It was still weak, but ice crystals could generate and conduct electricity, right?

He fired a singular bolt into the cloud, instantly forcing the crystals to condense and turn into large slabs of ice that trapped both guys instantly. Not exactly what he wanted to achieve, but he still took the chance. “Kuo! Look at that! A hickcicle!”

She groaned, he laughed and knocked both guys out with a solid hit of his Amp. “C'mon! Let's see what else you can do!”

She already rushed to the front- her mist form being much more maneuverable than he could ever hope to be, so she managed to catch up to another pair. This time, she flicked her wrist in a sidewards motion, flinging the guys right into the air with a burst of icy mist. Cole threw a shockwave into them, sending them careening through the air and smacking them against the graves.

“Cole”, She piped up, freezing another guy solidly against a wall. “There's supposed a Blast Core here. I think I heard someone mention that Wolfe had hidden one here.”

“Alex said something similar.”

“Then let's find it.”

They circled the graveyard, looking for obvious signs that something had been tampered with, and avoiding the few hicks they could sense- but darkness and the maze-like structure hid them well enough. What worried Cole was the overpowering scent of decay, and he when he turned a corner, he noticed covered up corpses.  _This stuff's spread across the city now. Same effect, if more localized._

He grimaced. “Ray Field victims”, he muttered under his breath.

Kuo sighed, materializing momentarily next to him. “Yeah. If it is that bad with only the Blast Cores and Shards out here giving off radiation, imagine what it'll be like if the Beast's cloud sweeps over here.”

Millions would die. Were probably already dead, because the East Coast was where the Beast was- and it was the most densely packed part of the continent.

“Wait-” Kuo's head snapped up, eyes narrowing at the sound of shooting. “I'm feeling...I don't know.” She instantly rushed into the direction of the shots, and Cole quickly followed after her, trying to catch up to her before she did something reckless- but she stopped atop a small crypt and eyed the scene in front of them. Militia fighting those ice guys.

“They...they've been in that lab, just as I have”, she noticed when he caught up to her.

“Alex says that they've been given bootlegs of your powers”, Cole explained, “And I guess they weren't too happy about being used as guinea pigs, same as you.”

“My powers?” She frowned. “I guess that is why I felt them before I saw them.” She shook herself. “At any rate, they're distracting each other. And that crypt down there-” She pointed at the building in question, “Looks like it could have been tampered with.”

“Good”, Cole swung down and approached the crypt, was about to open it- when the ground shook and he leapt backwards with a swear. A Swamp Beast leapt from the ground- bigger than the normal rhino monsters and equipped with darker plates. Cole paled. Where was heavy support when they needed it?

The monster roared and slammed its claws into the ground, growing weird tentacles with orb-like structures on them-  
And Cole swore. He knew this, remembered this from a frantic battle at the bottom of an Empire under-bridge.

“Kuo!” He yelled, “Target these egg things! I try to distract the big guy!”

“On it!” He could hear the nervous tone in her voice, but she still tried to comply. Her ice crusted over the eggs, and when Cole fired at the large thing, he shattered several of them. The big guy wasn't amused and charged them, and a few eggs split open to spawn small crab-like Corrupted. _Those_ definitely were _not_ human-based, and for a short second Cole heard Colonel Blackwatch's voice. _There must be a Hive Queen or something._

Was this the source of the Corrupted? But...no. It couldn't be. It couldn't be that easy. That wasn't a Queen, but probably a leader.

“Take it down, Kuo!” He shouted, “We have to stop it before it calls more of its friends!”

“-Or draws attention”, the Ice Conduit added when a few high speed bullets dug into Cole's back. He swore, forcing himself to dive behind a gravestone to avoid the fire, but leaving himself wide open for the Corrupted to charge him. It was stopped by a blast of ice and momentarily backed off. Cole dashed to the side, firing a few shockwaves at the hicks and stomping on one of the crab things that tried to bite at his ankles.

“Cole!” Kuo's mist hid his form for a moment so he could get into a better position- but sadly the icy mist was _mist_ , and it didn't give much protection against _bullets_. One clipped his head and his vision went gray for a moment.

Cole clenched his teeth and pulled himself behind cover to rest for a moment, then blindly threw a grenade at the hicks that tried to approach them. He heard their yells when it went off, but that gave the Corrupted enough time to attack them again. Kuo swore and froze the ground so it slipped and crashed, but it recovered too fast.

He threw himself to the side as it crashed into the crypt besides him, rolled over his shoulder to get back to his feet, but froze when he felt the ground shake again.

Something screamed at the back of his head and he leapt out of the way, frantically waving at Kuo to do the same- when the soil behind him shattered with an ear-splitting screech. He whirled around, eyes widening at the sight of a three-story tall Corrupted rising from the ground. More snake-like than the others, with a thick base and a two-pronged metal beak that split sideways the moment it set eyes (it didn't  _have_ eyes!) on the smaller Corrupted. 

With a screech, it lashed out its whip-like barbed tongue at it, succeeding in throwing it off balance with a violent swipe.

“Wait-” Cole blinked, “Why are they fighting against each other?”

“No idea”, Kuo inhaled sharply, witnessing the snake slamming its considerate mass into the Corrupted hard enough to shatter its body. Then its beak clamped down on it and dragged it back into its hole, silencing its terrified screeches as soon they were out of sight.

For a moment, nothing moved- until a second popped up just behind the Militia members with a loud shriek. The men paled and instantly dove for cover as the snake whipped its body in a half-circle flat over the ground. Cole summoned another grenade into his hand and targeted the men to shut them up- he figured if they didn't move the snake would leave them alone, and the Corrupted really froze for a moment before it slowly turned towards Cole and Kuo.

The Electric Conduit swallowed. “Same plan, Kuo- you distract it and cool it down, I try to blow it up--?” He cut himself off when his partner made a surprised noise.

The snake was...cooing, for a lack of a better work, swaying softly from side to side- before its beak split open to reveal the tell-tale glow of the Blast Core.

The two Conduits just blinked as the snake dropped the Core directly in front of them, then retreated into its lair. Cole briefly toyed with the idea to still follow it, but quickly noticed that the ground was so dug up it collapsed the moment the thing vanished.

“What...was that?” Kuo asked, looking a little disheveled.

“No idea”, Cole replied, leaning down to pick up the Core. “But uh, it got a present for us?”

She was still watching the ground warily, but turned to him instead. “What now?”

“Go back?” He suggested after a moment's thought. “Try this thing out and get new powers out of it?”

“Yeah, that sounds...like a plan. But what about this...thing?” 

“Hey, you want climb after it into its lair, you are welcome to do so”, Cole grimaced. “Plus it kind of helped us, so how about cutting it some slack?”

“Guess so. Not going to try fight a thing that size.” She briefly shook her head, then smiled at Cole. “Race you?”

“Sure” He started running, but she was faster. He knew she would be at their roof before him, but that was fine. She would be away from whatever that had been way faster than he would, _and_ she would learn to enjoy her powers.

He still tried to keep up with her and finally arrived at their place completely out of breath. Like predicted, Kuo was already present and perched on the roof. Zeke and Dana were too, as was Alex. The Runner just arched an eyebrow at him, barely even looking up from the computer.

“Took your sweet time.”

“Yeah, I went for the scenic route”, he replied.

“You got the Core alright?”

“I got it, but listen- we kind of met some sort of Corrupted. Big, snake-like, one of them ate the Swamp Beast we've been fighting and the other scared off the Militia.”

Alex snorted. “It was only one and it wasn't a Corrupted”, he said simply.

“How would you know-” Cole's brows furrowed. “How do you know?”

“Not important”, was the answer. “Go on. Use the Core. We don't have all day.”

Cole was still frowning, as was Dana, but Alex just shrugged it off and turned his entire attention back to his work. He wasn't going to get an answer that way, so he dropped it for the time being and walked a few steps away to have some space- and activated the Core.

The discharge sent him straight on his ass and knocked him out cold.

* * *

When Cole woke again, it was morning already, and only Alex was there with him on the roof. The Conduit groaned as he dragged himself to his feet, then shook his head.

“You okay?”

“Just give me a moment”, he grunted, then blinked and glanced at the other. “Was that _concern_ I heard?”

“Of course it was.” Alex scoffed. “You just absorbed your third Blast Core and fucked up your own genetic code _again_. The last time one Conduit was constantly mutating like you are doing right now, we had to deal with David Warner in the end.”

Cole hissed through his teeth, trying not to remember the black-skinned demonic Conduit. “But Wolfe said it's the only way to use the RFI.”

“I know”, the Runner sighed and rolled the sphere over the table towards him so Cole could put it back into his bag. “And by all means, the effects shouldn't be anywhere near Warner's level since a Core is just the waste product of the Sphere, but you are still constantly forcing your body to adapt and change. It might be wise to take a break every now and then.”

“I can't”, Cole sighed, “Because the Beast is coming and I want to be finished before that.” He frowned briefly. “How far off is it?”

“Roughly seven hundred and thirty miles”, Alex answered. “I checked in with Cross, he confirmed it.”

“And coming closer _fast_.” Cole dragged his palm down his face. “I'll just have to deal with the Cores then.” He exhaled. “Anything on the servers?”

“I worked through most of it. It seems that each Conduit gives off a specific wavelength of Ray Field energy”, Alex explained to him. “And this wavelength not only triggers the activation in Lesser Conduits, but also allows humans to gain Conduit Powers when exposed to it correctly.”

“Like Bertrand did with Kuo and the Vermaak dudes?”

“Exactly”, He stretched his arms and let ripples of Biomass run over them, removing his leather jacket and hoodie and replacing them for the band tee he'd been 'wearing' the day before. “But, to be honest, it's a pretty hard thing to work with and my head hurts from trying to process everything.” He snorted. “I didn't even _know_ I could do that.”

“Then it's time for a break, huh?” Cole looked around once. “Where are the others?”

“Dunbar's with the Militia. He said that right now, we got them in the ropes and they're going to tell us something we need.”

“Fair.”

“Dana's with Kuo. They went to look at a few hideouts Wolfe had created all over the city, hoping to find some notes of his. Kuo seems certain he had some of his research logs there. Heller's back with Cross. Since the Corrupted only come out at night, they're preparing to hunt them down.”

Alex cleared his throat after a moment. “Also, Nix came by. She asked me to tell you she wants to meet you down by the Swamp Docks.”

“Nix?”

“Apparently, she has something to show you.” He hummed for a moment. “I'd like to come along too, check things out in the swamp. When we came here, I swear I sensed the Corrupted there. I want to see whether I can find their nest.”

“And do what? Kill them?”

“I won't be able to get all of them. But I want to...do something there.”

“Like yesterday?” Cole cocked his head. “You have been controlling the snake thing, haven't you? Just like you controlled Heller.”

Alex's grin revealed too many and too sharp teeth. “That's where you're mistaken, Cole. I didn't control it. I  _was_ it.”

He blinked. With him being a shapeshifter, taking another form wouldn't be too hard- he spent a whole lot of time disguising himself as a dog before they met, after all. But then again, Dana would probably have said something if he hadn't been present to help her. “Uh...but you've been here all night?”

“You're forgetting one thing: I'm a virus. A disease. Biologically, it doesn't make sense I just have one host, one main focus. But I guess despite knowing that, I was still thinking too much like a human- and that is risky, as we have learnt.”

“The Beast-”

“It could have seriously damaged me. Maybe even killed me.” He snorted. “I realized I should have prepared better- and that is what you've seen yesterday.”

“Preparation?”

“I shaved off parts of my mass hid them in New Marais's underground. Basically stored bits and pieces of me all over the place.” He shrugged. “It's a fail-safe, of sorts, or a storage in case I don't manage to find something to consume. Something that allows me to keep going should this body get destroyed.”

Cole blinked. “Like a squirrel hiding nuts?” He grimaced, “Nope, not close enough.”

Alex snorted amused. “Squirrels can't grow back from nuts. I can, no matter how tiny the piece is I'm regenerating from. And what I learnt yesterday was that I can easily control even parts not connected to me like they are my main body- shapeshifting and consumption included.”

The Conduit paled instantly when realization hit. “Wait- you're meaning to tell me that me just walking over the streets means you could eat me whenever you want to?!”

“No- unless I require the Biomass, it is mostly inactive and perfectly secure. When I need it, it won't turn into a mindless monster- it would just be me remote piloting another body.”

“Like yesterday?”

“Exactly. I noticed the Corrupted dig past me- or better, dig past a part of me. I was interested, so I followed it, I watched you fight it, and then I consumed it while working on the decryption here. Wasn't much more complicated than using two computer screens at the same time.” He shoved the laptop into a box, locked it and hid the key in a place Cole figured Dana knew about. “Now come, we shouldn't leave Nix waiting.”

There were still so many questions Cole had, but he closed his mouth and followed the Runner. In some way, what he just learnt made sense. He knew of the Hive Mind, the telepathic connection between the viral cells that made up the infective tissues- and since he also knew about Heller, he knew perfectly well that the Hive Mind worked on separate entities. Only in this case, they weren't separate  _entities_ \- just the same guy in different bodies.

Sasha had been similar, if a lot weaker in that aspects, as she had been able to contact him even through an altered version of her tar, though her ability to interact with the surroundings had been limited.

Even he had been similar- when he reactivated those Transformers in Ascension Parish he too had been able to 'see' his surroundings through the energy he'd given off. “Tesla Missile”, he said, and Alex stopped briefly, frowning. “The move I used yesterday on Ascension Parish”, Cole explained. “I just decided to name it that way.”

Alex made a humming noise, then gestured towards the open roofs around them. “Speaking of moves, I'm sure you'd want to test out whatever ability you've gotten from the Core?”

_Right_ . Cole had forgotten about that. He cleared his throat to mask his surprise, then looked around for inspiration. He tried to focus on something that hadn't been there before, like the magnetic lifting or the ash tornado. This time, he didn't feel anything  _new_ , though he was pretty sure that some of his abilities were  _different_ . So he tried it, simply leapt off the building they were currently on and activated his thrusters- he quickly realized that they were both faster and longer living, with more lifting power. Not as good as Alex's gliding, but still better than the old version. The next he noticed was that his magnetic repulsion also gained in strength and now worked vertically too, not only horizontally as it had done until now, so he could catapult himself straight upwards when standing on a metallic surface. Combined with the better thrusters, he suddenly had a much larger range of action. 

He also has gotten his sniper shot back, which was awesome, though he was sadly lacking any larger, flashier moves. Still, it felt good, and he let out a content moan.

Alex appeared besides him with a casual tilt to his body, both hands in his pockets. “You finished then?”

“Yup. Not a new move, but I got improvements on a few old ones.” He clapped his hands together. “Now, where did Nix want to meet me?”

Alex waved vaguely across the city. “South-Eastern Side, south of Leo Park. And she didn't explicitly tell me to tell you to meet her, she said she 'Had something that'll blow your mind'.”

“So, worth to check out.”

“She seemed to have put a lot of thought into that one, so yes. It's impolite to leave a lady waiting.”

“Problem there”, Cole pointed out as he started jogging down the street. “Nix ain't no lady.”

Alex's chuckle was all answer he got.

* * *

Nix was easy to spot. The Fire Conduit sat on a rickety pier, head propped up with one knee and her back turned to the city. She was very still, far from how she'd been the day before. She didn't acknowledge their presence any more than just a light bob of her head and a “'Ello Cole. 'Ello Alex.”

Cole paused for a moment, eyebrows arched up. He didn't know her that silent, and he didn't like it. Anything to try and get her out of the blues, he figured, so he pointed at her foot that was dangling near the water. “Better watch your feet. Gators aren't the worst in the waters these days.”

Nix sighed. “Too bad. Nice day for skinny dip.”

“Go on right ahead. I'm not stopping you”, Cole grinned at her.

“You'll have to factor Cole out, though”, Alex threw in, apparently picking up on the mood too. “Water and him don't mix too well.” Both were silent for a moment, then the Runner crouched down besides the Fire Conduit who was uncharacteristically forlorn. “What's this about?”

Nix exhaled and pointed at the swamp. “Ya knew, a grew up out dere.”

No electricity, no education, no water. He'd seen the slums at the edges of New Marais, and knew perfectly well that she used to live further away where nobody looked after the people. “Must have been rough”, the Electric Conduit mumbled sympathetically.

“Is a wole oter world”, she confirmed. “Only people a eva knew was tieves an' crazies. An' poor like no tomorrow.” She sighed and Cole could hear the crack in her voice. “Mah mamma was all dat. Used to be.”

“What happened?” Alex questioned. He even used the same tone of voice he usually used around Dana.

Nix was silent for a moment, then glanced at them. “Das wat a was gonna show ya.” She grabbed Alex's wrist and simply pulled herself up, eyes on Cole. “Firs' we gonna get ya a boat.”

“Saw some Militia on the way here”, Cole mentioned, pointing at another plantation just visible through the trees. “Think they got a nice boat?”

If there was anything Nix loved doing, it was beating up hicks. And a tiny smile was already tugging at her lips. “We'll see”

Alex cracked his knuckles, armor plates swimming upwards and covering his body just as his arms buffed up dramatically. “Allow me.” Cole stepped back and just bowed slightly, and the Runner dashed off. Instantly, they heard the yells of the men and the cracks of gunshots.

Nix's eyebrows went up. “'E always dat way?”

“No. Sometimes he leaves the armor off.”

“Pretty awesome stuff, man.”

“You want to join in?”

“'ell yeah!”

They ran after him, seeing the destruction Alex already wrought in the shape of story-tall black spikes that ripped from the ground. Miraculously, nobody was dead, but badly startled and partly injured. Cole slapped Nix's arm and motioned to the left, while Alex charged around the right side of the building. Nix agreed to his way of thinking and teleported towards a small group of guys, instantly trapping them in tar. Cole zapped the liquid and blew them all up, then spun on his heel and fired off another ash tornado to break their formation.

With the way free, the two Conduits ran to the back of the complex, towards a well-equipped pier and a small trawler docked there.  
Alex rushed towards them like a bull- plowing through men, equipment and walls with ease, and waving at them to get into the boat. Cole lunged over, and Nix darted up into the bridge to take control. Alex splashed into the water behind them the moment Cole removed the moorings, seconds before the Runner tackled into the rear of the boat to virtually shove it into the bog and away from the hicks that yelled after them.

The Fire Conduit was laughing when she finally fired up the engine and took control, and Cole grinned as Alex dragged himself out of the swamp, shook himself and pulled back the armor with a satisfied smirk. “Nice work, guys!” She cheered. “Les go for a ride.”

The trawler kept moving, swiftly gliding through the bog. Cole inhaled the fresh air deeply, enjoying it until Alex made a noise. The Conduit turned his attention on the surrounding swamps immediately, and noticed the watch towers installed along the waterway. “Nix? Those always been here?”

“No. Dey new”, She furrowed her brows.

“Wonder what Bertrand wants out here”, Alex muttered, then eyed Cole. “If they see us, they'll blow this ship to pieces.”

“Unless we take them out before that”, Cole pointed out.

“Yes. And coincidentally, there is ammunition stashed on these things- ammunition and fuel. You said you got your sniper shot back?”

“Oh yeah.” Cole turned to face the tower, and let his focus change as he targeted the first tower. One bolt was all that was needed to blow it up. He heard the surprised yells of the men stationed nearby, but only as he took down the second tower they realized that they were under attack.

And all Hell broke loose. Alex cocked his head, grabbed a fist full of his own shirt and literally yanked out a piece of his own stomach- the damage healed up instantly as he threw the piece over to the left side like a grenade. Upon making contact with the floor, it erupted into a cluster of spikes and tentacles that drew attention by forcing the men to back off in terror. Cole leapt over the railing and hovered over to solid ground, firing a shockwave at the closest guys to keep them down the moment he had the soft muddy ground under his feet- and the tentacles receded to instantly turn into a large black dog that lunged growling at another guy.

He still heard Nix's surprised yelp, even over the shouts and cracks of shots. “'oly Shit man, das sick! An' awesome!”

The dog charged the turrets, leapt upwards to slam into the ground and burrow into it as squirming tendrils- erupting just behind the men to take them down. By then, Cole had arrived and swung himself clear over the shields to fire lightning at those that tried to hide behind.

Something snarled suddenly, and a Swamp Beast, a normal one, leapt at him. The dog was faster, tearing into it and melting it into wriggling tentacles. _I can easily control even parts not connected to me like they are my main body- shapeshifting and consumption included._

He risked a glance back to the boat, and sure enough, Alex was grinning.  _Holy shit_ .

Cole grimaced briefly, then whistled and pointed at another group of hicks. The dog (Alex? Dog Alex?) changed course and headed for them, charging straight through solid obstacles, then through the water separating this island from another.

Cole lugged a grenade towards the water's edge, stood on top of it- and let the following explosion catapult him high off the ground so he could hover over the bog and assault the guys.

They were already thrown in turmoil- Corrupted were using the fog rising from the swamp as cover to attack them. It made Cole pause briefly- these guys should have been able to control these things, if they were really on their side, no?

But this didn't look like they had anything under control.

The dog barked once, and leapt at another Corrupted to consume it. Cole fired at the hicks to take them down. They would wake up sooner or later with a massive headache, but they would live.

“Cole!” Nix yelled, and the Conduit wasted no time leaping back on board. Alex eyed him briefly, and his dog-self crashed back into the floor, dissipating. “Those swamp things are pissed”, Cole felt he needed to point that out.

“Dey jus' defend deir territory, man”, Nix gave back, then hissed between her teeth when tentacles erupted on the island to throw the Militia hicks around and knock them out, and consume the Corrupted. “Man, ya a real monster, ain' ya?”

“This is my territory now”, Alex said simply. A group of three Swamp beasts suddenly leapt out of the mist and landed on deck, and the Runner summarily greeted them with a pair of claws to the face and tentacles to the chests. He shook one wrist. “I don't like them invading it either.” 

Somewhere, something  _big_ roared, then was cut off with a fleshy squelch. Cole grimaced. “Holy shit, you're not doing anything half-assed.”

“Damn, man”, Nix whistled. “Dey got more monsters dan _moustique_.” She hummed for a moment with a frown. “Maybe das why dese guys dig in?”

“Maybe”, Cole also furrowed his brows. “But until now we thought that the Militia had something to do with these things, trains them maybe, though this doesn't look like it.”

“Or maybe they need to be constantly trained in order to be useable as tools”, Alex suggested. “Otherwise they just go feral.”

Cole snorted as he noticed a Militia camp- abandoned and torn apart. “Can only be positive for us- if these hicks are too busy trying to hold their own pets back, then they won't be able to stop us.” He spat into the bog. “They kidnap people and turn them into those things- they kidnapped Kuo and tortured her. I say they get what they deserved.”

Alex nodded briefly as his eyes went distant for a second. Then Cole saw another cluster of tentacles rise from the soil and turn into the same giant snake monster he'd seen on the cemetery- and the snake slammed into the ground again to drive another Large Corrupted from its hideout. Once it was out there, Alex made short work with it, ripping it apart and consuming it without actually moving his ass off the boat.

His attention shifted briefly, turning to the other side- where  _dozens_ of these things emerged from the soil. All screeching, and spitting globs of acid at the boat when they couldn't reach it with their claws or fangs.

Alex scoffed, and armor grew back over his shape. “Keep going”, he told them as he fashioned his blade, “I'll take care of them quickly.”

“Meet you at the end?”

“Definitely.” He lunged off the boat, catapulting himself directly between the Corrupted- seconds before he exploded into a cluster of spikes and tentacles. Cole could only see the trees collapsing as the boat continued gliding through the fog around them. He could hear the screeches of the Swamp Beast, and grimaced. 

“Is 'e gonna be okay?” Nix demanded to know, “Dere are a lot of dese tings.”

“Your concern is appreciated”, Cole replied, “But not warranted in this case. These things won't stand a chance- you've seen how easily he could take one of them apart.”

“Dey ain' de only tings out here”, the Fire Conduit gave back. “Dere are big ones too- 'cause we close now.”

“Won't be alive much longer”, he still sent out a radar pulse to map the area, and surely, he could sense most of the things simply ceasing to exist. Was probably not enough left of their nervous systems once Alex was through with them- Cole shuddered at the thought, though couldn't help but be grateful that it wasn't _his_ job to deal with these things now. He just hoped the Runner knew what he was doing, or else they would be screwed.

Somewhere, something  _big_ was moving about, shattering trees and shaking the ground- and the ground was soft and spongy, so there was a lot of Corrupted moving. “What is that thing?”

“Dunno. Never stuck around to find out”, Nix admitted. “'Cause dese tings- dey scare me. A can deal wit' de small ones. Or de Militia. But not dis.” She killed the engine, so the boat slowly started to lose momentum as it gently drifted through the bog. “We dere”, she pointed out as she brought the trawler long side to the muddy shoreline. “Now we gotta walk.”

“How far?” Cole hopped onto the drier ground, grimacing briefly when he accidentally got into too much contact with the water, and tied the boat up.

“A 'our”, Nix pointed out with a bitter tone, “No more. Is a bit away. Nobody eva looked.”

Something snapped, and she whirled in place with flames dancing along her arms. Alex just cocked his head. “Sorry for startling you.”

Nix huffed out, dropped her arms and motioned at them to follow her. She was silent, jaw set and teeth grit. Neither Alex nor Cole dared say anything as she led the way away from the waterway and into the trees, so all they could hear were a few birds tweeting, frogs croak and the mosquitoes buzz about. From time to time they heard some animal in the underbrush, but they didn't encounter any Militia or Corrupted.

When they climbed up a hillside, Alex stopped briefly, eyes narrow. “No birds”, he said. “No insects.  _Nothing_ .”

Cole too noticed it- it was dead silent around them.

Nix scoffed- the first thing she said in an hour. “Dey all afraid”, she pointed out. “Noting comes here.”

“Why?”

She didn't answer, just brushed asides a few branches of the thicket, revealing a massive clearing.

Cole choked briefly, forgetting how to breathe for a moment, and he heard Alex shift his weight too. What he initially thought to be a clearing was a gigantic  _crater_ . It was easily three of four blocks wide, with mowed-down trees around its edges. The bottom was filled with water, but there were barely any plants growing on the ground- likely because it had been melted by extreme heat and turned into glass. In the middle was a small mound, untouched by the devastation around it. He slid down the crater's edge and closed in on the mound, noticing the pedestal in the direct center of the mound- in the direct center of the crater.

Exactly like Empire.

Exactly like Empire, where  _he_ had been the center of the crater- just a little burnt up while everything else had been melted.

“Ya know dis”, Nix noticed as she closed in, eyes narrow.

“I've been in a place like this before”, Cole admitted. “It was the same in Empire. But this...” He looked around. The ground was slowly starting to grow over again- moss, lichen, creeping vines and the occasional weed were sprouting all over the place. “This is older.” He turned to her. “This is where you got your powers.”

“Few years ago”, Nix confirmed. “After Katrina. After de storm. Militia rolled in, dragged all 'omeless people in wit' promises of food.” She spat on the ground with a vicious snarl. “But it was jus' show for public. Bertrand took 'em all 'ere. Chained togeter like slaves. People nobody was goin' to miss. Poor, tieves, wores. And 'e was dere, in de middle. Wit' a large orb in 'is 'ands.” 

“The Ray Sphere”, Cole hissed. He knew perfectly well what had happened after that, didn't need Nix's words to realize what had happened.

“Mah mamma was dere too”, Nix said with a small voice. “An' mah sistas and brotas. A wasn', 'cause a 'ave argued wit 'er. Said nasty tings. Ah came back to say sorry, but dey was gone. So a looked for dem, snuck in- an' found dem 'ere. Mamma- she noticed mah, tol' mah to run.”

Nix swallowed thickly, wiping her wrist over her eyes once, then continued. “Bertrand did someting wit' de orb, because is started glowin'. Den a woke up, an' evabody was dead. Burnt, most of 'em dust. Only dose away from de middle were still dere- burnt bodies, fallin' apart at touch. Sometimes a can still 'ear dem scream.” Nix sniffed and clenched her fists. “An' Bertrand- 'e stood in de middle. Laffin'.”

Alex managed to catch Cole's attention, expression pulled into a scowl. Was probably thinking the same- Bertrand knew he had the gene, and out of pure hubris, activated himself by sacrificing hundreds of people- and accidentally activating Nix too since she coincidentally had the gene herself.

“Goddamn purist asshole”, Cole spat. “Preaching everybody that Conduits are the devil's work, while he's one himself.” But it worried him. Nix had been at the edge of the Blast, was a real powerhouse- but what about Bertrand? He stood at the center, so by all logic, he should be something really fearful.

“'e walked away”, Nix explained, “A was too scared. Didn' know wat happened, didn' wan' to leave mah mamma. And den de oter man appeared.”

“What other man?” Alex questioned, eyebrows furrowed.

“De man in de wite coat”, Nix pointed out. “A was scared, hid, but a tink 'e knew a was dere. 'E took de orb Bertrand left be'ind, cursin' under 'is breat'- an' den 'e looked at were a was.” She shook herself. “'Is eyes were blue. Like ligtnin'.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, we finished the loyalty missions for both Kuo and Nix. Though, I had to fix their graveyard meeting, because in-Game Cole was a dick back then- which doesn't fit for the mental image I have of him, and since this is my story, I can do whatever I want.


	17. Taking the Castle

The assembly of memories  _hurt_ , especially when it happened in a set of memories he already had for a while- but when Nix told them of the blue-eyed man in the white coat that retrieved the Ray Sphere, everything suddenly clicked and became clear. First only a vortex of images, of memories, thoughts and things long past that all snapped together with a spike of pain like somebody had driven an ice pick into his brain.

The last time this had happened, it was at the worst moment thinkable, on the roof of a Hive with his back turned to the enemy.

Cole's voice, talking to Nix, was something to latch on and hold to until his brain stopped hurting. “Hey, uh, you don't need to stay here if you don't want to. I'm really grateful you showed this to me, but if it gets to you, you shouldn't have.”

Alex grunted and shook his head briefly, getting himself back together quickly. The whole episode had taken maybe half a minute, and neither Conduit had noticed it.

Nix shook her head in reply to Cole's words. “A jus' 'ad to show  _somebody_ . Ya was de firs' a showed. Guess it was to prove it was real. Figured de Demon would understand.” She turned to go. “Is a weigt off mah chest.”

“How do you feel?”

“Better now”, she clapped her hands, and a wide smile of relief appeared on her face. “Now come. We don' 'aff to spend de nigt. Ya don' _want_ to spend de night”, she added a moment later.

As she walked off, Cole stopped Alex for a moment. “You alright? You just went pale there. Well,  _paler_ than you normally are, and you are pretty pale already-”

“I get it”, The Runner cut him off somewhat gruffly. “I just remembered.”

“Remembered?”

“Having been here after the Blast”, he pointed out as they worked themselves through the thicket surrounding the crater.

Nix stopped, frowning at him. “A didn' saw  _ya_ . A saw dat oter man. In de wite coat.”

Alex sighed, not eager to share his abilities with someone else- or at least, not willing to share his more devastating powers. “His name was Kessler. Kessler was the one to give Cole his powers by activating the Ray Sphere in Empire City just three months ago. I just know because it's part of  _my_ powers.”

Cole's eyes narrowed. “You said his memories were damaged- that he damaged them himself-”

“But I still had them. Just not in a order I could understand.” Kessler had altered his own memories, tried to delete most of his presence in New Marais- most of Wolfe and Bertrand included. He hadn't succeeded everywhere, and where he did, he had only been able to cut the neural pathways, but couldn't destroy the neurones in themselves. When Alex consumed him, he had noticed the jumbled mess of memories, though had been incapable of restoring them without knowing what they coded for.

“When Nix told us she'd seen him, everything just...came together. Repaired the damaged neural pathways, if you want.”

Cole's eyes were alert. “What did you remember?”

“Kessler saw the chance to fund his Ray Sphere research by offering Bertrand a piece of the cake- ultimately leading to the plan that led to you, Cole.”

“So Bertrand had given him money?”

“Kessler, Bertrand and Wolfe worked together for a few years. Bertrand first because he saw the chance to profit from the entire research. Same thing Moya wanted- make Conduits, use them for war- only Bertrand wanted to sell these Conduits _as_ weapons.”

Cole's eyes narrowed. “These Vermaak guys.”

“My guess too.” Alex lifted his hand to shove a branch out of his way. “That had been Bertrand's plan initially- then he changed it when Kessler told him that he had the gene too. Bertrand was a Conduit- and after that, the man became _obsessed_. Kessler later figured that Bertrand started using his Militia behind his and Wolfe's backs- and then he stole the Ray Sphere.”

“Was wen 'e killed mah mamma”, Nix noticed with a dark expression. She cursed under her breath for a moment and angrily punched a tree, cracking its bark. “Dat ass'ole wanted _power_?! An' 'e killed eva person a eva cared about?!”

“Kessler wasn't very happy”, Cole noticed.

“No. After retaking the Sphere, he went to Bertrand and flipped his shit. Epically. He devastated half of Bertrand's compound, then left New Marais to continue his work with the First Sons. He never cared about New Marais anymore, and as such, had no idea what Bertrand was doing.”

“But that's wrong. If Bertrand activated his Conduit abilities, why keep it hidden? Why doesn't he flaunt it, shows it off as 'Gift of God'? Why is he demonizing the other Conduits?”

Alex furrowed his brows, then shook his head. “No idea. My guess is that his abilities either didn't manifest correctly, or it is a power that he doesn't want to flaunt. Anyways, he's back to making Conduits to sell them as weapons.”

“We stopped it”, Nix pointed out. “'E ain' got dem.”

Cole was silent, expression thoughtful. “I don't understand. Why delete those memories then?”

_That_ Alex now remembered. He bared his teeth in a grimace. “Because he  _knew_ I was going to get them, since he was at the end of his line already. He altered his memories simply so I wouldn't be distracted by things that shouldn't be of interest.”

“Not of interest?”, Cole stopped, staring at him incredulously. “Wolfe's research opens up a whole lot more applications to this entire Conduit business- Ray Field Inhibition, Transferring Powers, unlocking new Powers-”

“You're forgetting one thing”, Alex cut him off. “The Beast Kessler fought and what he thought _you_ were going to face is an completely different entity to the Beast we _have_.”   
The differences were obvious- Kessler's Beast had destroyed _everything_ , even blew up the fucking _moon_ as it hunted Kessler down. Their Beast was only destroying _humans_ \- and created Conduits in the wake of its path. Conduits that would ultimately profit from the lack of competition. Like a Runner creating the perfect conditions for its Hive. He wasn't sure how much of it was intentional, but the similarities with Greene were startling.   
“I think Kessler's Beast was actually the result of the Conduit-Weapons-Research going horribly awry”, he added. “The one we have is actually tame compared to that.”

Nix made a confused noise. “Anoter Beast? A tougt dere was only one?” She cocked her head. “An' wo is Kessler?”

Cole blinked, then grimaced. “Kessler is...kind of my evil future self. He created the Ray Sphere to give me my powers so I could face the thing that's currently destroying the East Coast.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “There was time travel involved.”

The Fire Conduit turned to Alex with an arched eyebrow. He just shrugged. “It's true. There was time travel involved.”

She turned back to Cole. “So...ya Evil Future Self is resp'n'ble for mah family dyin'?” Cole flinched back badly, but she just patted his shoulder. “Wasn' ya. Was Kessler, no? An' Kessler is dead, so 'e got wat was comin' for 'im. Now we gotta kill Bertrand too, an' a will be 'appy.”

“It shall be done”, Alex pointed out. “Killing Bertrand- but remember that you please don't do head shots. I need his brain intact.”

“But we can still break 'is legs?”

“You can rip him to pieces if you want. Just leave the head to me.” He loosened his shoulders to let a few tendrils curl through the air. “It would be mostly appreciated.”

Nix grinned at him. “Sure, man. 'slong a get to kill dis piece of shit.”

“You'll get the first shot”, Cole threw in, “But after that- as long he gets dead I don't care who does him in.”

She shrugged. “Can deal wit' dat. But 'e don' get to live in prison, ya 'ear mah?”

“He won't.”

* * *

It was nearing afternoon when they finally got back to the docks. Nix made a face, stretching her arms. “A gotta punch sometin'. Been drivin' dat damn boat for too lon'.”

“Wait a moment”, Cole lifted his hand as his phone chimed. “Yeah?”

“ _You back in the city?”_ Dunbar asked.

“Just came here”

“ _Cool, then come over here. We got some news and you might want to hear them. Drag Nix along, I think this is right up her alley too.”_

“We'll see, Zek'”, Nix threw in.

“ _Yeah, I think I'll be right on this one. Just come over and take a look. Oh, Alex there?”_

“I am.”

“ _Dana told me to tell you to keep your connection open, so we can get Blackwatch in on this.”_

“Got it.”

“ _Good, see you around then.”_ Dunbar ended the call and Cole shrugged. “Well, guess we better don't let them wait then.”

“Wonder wat is”, Nix mentioned.

“Knowing Dunbar- he found something in the Militia's hands”, Alex glanced at Nix. “So you'll get to punch someone after all.”

“Good” She cracked her knuckles and Cole snickered a little. He waved at them, then started leading the way away from the docks and back into the city proper. There was a curious lack of Militia around, and the civilians they encountered cheered at them when they recognized the Electric Conduit. Nix made a confused noise at the first encounter, and stopped to stare at them. Alex grunted in displeasure- not wanting to be seen in public, and tugged at Cole's sleeve. “Let's get topside”, he growled, “I don't like those guys.”

Cole grimaced. “Yeah, I know. Gratitude isn't your schtick, I get it.”

After that, they relocated their path to the rooftops, which felt leagues better than the crowded streets down there did. Reaching their roof was easy, and Alex noticed Dana and Kuo present, as was Dunbar. And the madame of the brothel they made their hideout on was present too. She was smoking, listening to Dunbar, while Dana and Kuo were bent over their table and studied a map of sorts. All of them looked up as they approached.

Cole headed straight over to the couch, snatching a sandwich off a plate there and biting into it. Nix crossed her arms. “So, was de big secret, Zek'?”

Dunbar puffed out his chest. “It's official”, he declared, “The Power Transfer device, the second one, is in Fort Phillipe.”

That didn't have the effect he apparently waited for- Cole just arched an eyebrow, Kuo grimaced with a shudder, Nix cocked her head in confusion and Alex himself just scoffed. “And?”

Dunbar gaped. “What? No 'Good Work, Agent Dunbar'?”

Cole rolled his eyes. “Good work, Agent Dunbar. Now tell us why this should interest us? I mean, asides from finding that thing and destroying it?”

“Destroy it?”

“So nobody can copy any Conduit's powers on somebody else ever again”, Kuo bit out maybe a bit too quickly. From her elevated heart rate, Alex figured she didn't like to remember it.

“Wait”, Dana lifted her head. “Alex said it'll work between Conduits as well, so maybe not destroy it _yet_?”

Cole turned to her with a frown. “You mean- we could swap between us three?”

Dana shrugged. “Yeah. More abilities would always be appreciated.”

Nix clapped her hands. “Ya mean ah get Frost an' Ligtnin', and Cole get Frost an' Fire, and  _Reine des glaces_ here get Fire and Ligtnin'?” She glanced at Alex. “Not sure anybody would want ya power.”

He shook his head. “Trust me, it wouldn't work anyways. Pretty sure if I were to give you my powers, your normal ones would just get lost in the process.” He furrowed his browns. “However, between you three it would be a good idea. Gives you some variation in your moves.”

“Makes for nasty surprise”, Nix added.

“It won't matter if we don't get the damn thing”, Cole pointed out. “What do you know about Phillipe?”

“Big place”, Dana pointed out. “Several side exits, blind spots. Very well defended by the Militia.”

“So we'd need an army to get in there. Somebody who can block all escape routes and sweep the yard while we look for the device”, Alex noticed. “In other words, Cross and the Wisemen.”

“They'd be our heavy hitters”, Dana agreed. “What about Laroche and his men?”

“They might be another possibility”, Kuo agreed. “They have the manpower and equipment we need.”

“An' wy should dey 'elp us?”, Nix demanded to know.

Sherry cleared her throat. “They hate the Militia just as much as you do. And if you offer them somethin', they'll do somethin' for you in return.”

Dunbar frowned at her. “You had anythin' special in mind?”

“They need medication to treat their men. This Plague goin' around- the Militia doesn't get sick”, the woman pointed out. “They have a lot of this stuff lyin' around.”

“A drug against the plague?” Alex cocked his head. “I know there is a combination of antibiotics possible, but the plague is _radiation sickness_. A bunch of antibiotics won't work to treat it.”

“But- I haven't seen any sick hicks”, Cole pointed out.

“That's because what they have treats only the symptoms and slows the sickness down. It doesn't stop it.”

Cole grimaced. “It's better than leaving it untreated.” He turned to Kuo. “That should get their attention, right?”

“It should”, the Ice Conduit agreed. “And that would give us a few more men to work with.”

“I can get some distraction ready too”, Alex admitted with a sigh. While technically, it should have hit too close to home with that, the idea of Greene, of the Outbreak didn't dissuade him as much as it should have. “I'll need some time to ready it, however.” He glanced at the Fire Conduit. “You can lay a few traps, fill some holes with your tar- that way, we can channel those idiots to where we need them.”

“No problem, man.”

“Do it. We'll deal with Laroche's problem in the meanwhile”, Cole acknowledged. “What about Colonel Blackwatch?”

“Heller can deal with him”, Alex claimed.

Dunbar beamed over his face. “And Dana and I will keep everything under supervision. Maybe play the hub between the different groups.”

“Getting shot at is your job”, Dana agreed with a grin.

Alex snorted, then cocked his head. “We're doing this then?” Strictly speaking, he could wreck Fort Phillipe by himself- either going in overt by dealing with the Militia like he dealt with the Military Bases in Manhattan- which would result in the fort being absolutely  _wrecked_ \- or covert by consuming one man after the other- which was a little more time intensive.

That would be a little unfair towards the others, he figured, because they too wanted to have some fun. And Alex wasn't one to take it away from them.  
He shifted his focus, let his vision slide into the muted colored hues of the Hive Mind.  _Heller, I have something for you to do. Trust me, it's going to be fun._

* * *

Zeke had been surprisingly helpful, but Cole already knew that. He had used the information he had acquired while being undercover in the Militia to sniff out the medication stockpiles they refused to share with the general population. Kuo and him raced there, with her quickly leaving him behind- and when he approached, he heard the wail of sirens and an ambulance crashed through a fence directly in front of him, forcing him to stop swearing. The truck stopped too, and Kuo yanked the window open. “Get on top!” She ordered, “We'll get this to Laroche!”

Then Cole heard the shouts of the hicks, and decided to ask his questions later. He leapt up and magnetically anchored himself to the metal again, and Kuo ground down on the accelerator, making the ambulance jump to the front.

“How the Hell-?!”

“They were just trying to relocate this stash”, the Ice Conduit yelled over the squeal of tires and the rushing of air, “Had everything loaded into this truck and were about to take it away. I just-”

“You beat them up and stole their car”, Cole grinned. “Holy Hell, Kuo, you'll go places!”

“Prison, for example.” He noticed the laughter in her voice. 

Cole also heard the tell-tale roar of a rocket, and just lazily smacked a shockwave into it to bounce it back. “Guess they aren't too happy.”

“Nope, but why should we care?” Kuo yanked at the wheel and the ambulance skidded around a corner into a narrow alleyway. Cole spun and fired a few grenades at a bunch of hicks that tried to stop them, summarily blowing them up.

“Obstacles to the front”, she pointed out.

He just casually threw a shockwave to the front to remove the pickup trucks the Militia had piled up to block their way. “Not anymore.”

She was silent for a moment as she maneuvered around a wreck, then sighed. “I hope Laroche knows what we're doing here for him.”

“We show up with this stuff, they'll love us”, Cole declared.

“I'll settle for some acceptance.” There it was again, the dead tone in her voice. Cole knelt down and peeked into the driver's cabin upside-down. “Hey, come on now. You are not a freak. You are still you, just with ice coming out of your ass.”

Kuo choked once, and it took Cole a moment to realize that it was actual  _laughter_ that just got her by surprise. “That's some way to say it. Thanks.”

Something cracked, and Cole turned slightly- and froze. “Holy shit”, he breathed, then tapped the roof. “Uh, Kuo? You might want to hit the brakes.”

“Why-” She cut herself off. “Oh. That is a big swamp monster.”

A Devourer, and from the looks of it, it was right in their way. “You want me to drive around it?”

“No”, Cole shook his head. “It'll just hurt the people around if we don't stop it. Better, if _I_ don't stop it.” He grit his teeth and let lightning run over his arms. “You wait here, Kuo. If anything happens, drive past it and get this stuff to Laroche.”

She swallowed briefly. “You sure you can take it?”

“I am sure”, he squinted at the thing, saw the flesh beneath the armor plates sizzle in the sun. “It's weakened from the sun anyways. I can deal with it.” The inside, he had to aim at the inside of its mouth. He generated a grenade in his palm and leapt off the ambulance, racing towards the Corrupted. It snarled and turned towards him, plates moving asides so it could roar at him. He silenced it by throwing his grenade into its maw, the following explosion made the thing jerk back with another roar. Cole yanked up a car from the side and threw it into the Devourer's face violently enough that the resulting friction blew the vehicle up the moment it made contact.

The Corrupted swayed back, snarling, then opened its jaw in a rapid succession to spit several globs of acid at the smaller human. Cole slammed a few shockwaves into them to bounce them back, but they splattered uselessly against its shell. Figured these things would be immune against their own attacks.

He had to doge a tongue grab the beast shot at him without warning, losing some of his previous built up momentum- then it screeched suddenly as one of its legs collapsed the ground beneath and trapped it in a pitfall.

Black tentacles snaked out of the hole and wrapped tightly around the thing's leg- and suddenly turned into black spikes that slammed right through the thing's armor. The Devourer reeled and shrieked in pain, and Cole instantly clenched his fists and fired several powerful bolts of lightning at where lances were driven into the Devourer's body. Without the shell offering resistance, the charge went right into the Corrupted's inside.

It was tough on the outside, but its internal organs were hardly sufficient to endure the additional strain put on its system through the sudden discharge- the beast collapsed into the street with a pained whine, and the black mass impaling it quickly spread out to consume every last bit of the creature and drag it under the ground.

Cole grimaced and headed back to the ambulance. Evidently, Kuo had watched everything with a startled expression. “What  _was_ that?!”

“A Devourer.”

“I meant the other thing. The one that ate it?”

“That was Alex”, Cole blinked. “Or a part of him. Uh, apparently he put pieces of himself all over the place to act as booby traps for these things.”

Kuo shook herself. “Ugh, nope, not going to think about that.” She exhaled slowly. “Come on, MacGrath, we're almost there.”

Asides from a few more hicks trying to stop them, there was nothing notable left. Kuo eventually took her own phone and rang up Laroche. “Mr. Laroche, Kuo and MacGrath here- we're coming with a peace offering.”

“ _...I was just about to ask why he was surfin' an ambulance”_ , was the man's reply.

“We have medication”, Kuo explained as she stopped next to an old cinema and shut down the engine. “For you and your men, courtesy of Mr. Bertrand.”

Laroche's reply was cut short.  _“You got more than medicine woman, Goddamnit! This place used to be secret!”_

“What the-” Both Conduits' heads snapped up when several dozen hicks stormed the place. Cole snorted. “Well, Laroche, guess you'll have to move then. We'll stop them meanwhile.” He leapt to the front and summoned another vortex, trashing the narrow alleyway. “Kuo! Cover me!”

“On it!” Kuo dashed to the front in the shape of a misty cloud, freezing parts of the way to create a narrow channel. Something impacted into the ground in front of them, spraying small bits of concrete. “Snipers on the roof!”

“You get them!” Cole ordered, diving at another few idiots- one of them was like two heads taller than the others and much more muscled than his friends. Kuo hissed and darted off, and ice suddenly spread across the rooftops, taking all chance of the men up there to target them.

More hicks charged towards them, but Laroche's men also entered the alleyway, firing at the guys. Cole spun around and created another vortex of ashes and lightning, ripping another dozen guys off their feet.

“More still incoming!” Laroche yelled from behind cover, “MacGrath, if you want us to listen, you'll deal with them!”

Cole rolled his eyes. Seriously, what else did he have to do to prove that he was on their side? He still complied, though, because that meant he got to beat up these idiots and show them who was their boss.

And no matter how many there were- he was a lot better, especially with a small distributor nearby which supplied him with much-needed juice should he run dry, and Kuo appeared besides him when he went to drain it to protect him from harm as long he was vulnerable.

Teamwork right there.

And then something big hit the ground just behind the rebels. For a split moment, Cole thought it was one of the Corrupted, but that wasn't right- that wasn't a shell, that was an uniform, and body armor, and a mask.  
He blinked and recognized the form. A black-and-white uniform hugged a frame that was ridiculously  _massive_ , too large to be a real human. Muscles the size his head covered arms and legs, and a mask hid his face. The whole man stood even taller and wider than Heller did- and that was a feat in itself.

That was the big guy that had been with Colonel Blackwatch's team.

He just glanced at him briefly, then lunged to the front much faster than anybody his size had any right to, tackling into a group of hicks to send them flying. Bullets didn't seem to faze him, and after a moment, Cole decided that the big guy was probably on their side and charged right after him, knocking another hick right down with the Amp.  
He heard Laroche shout something, but that probably wasn't important. Icy mist flitted past him and slammed another few guys against a wall, freezing them against it.

It took them just a few minutes to take out all the guys that tried to sneak up on them, and after a short radar pulse, Cole noticed that nobody was left. The giant man dusted off his hands and turned to face Laroche, bending a bit at the hip to look him in the face.

“You Laroche?” He questioned in a deep rumbling voice. “Captain Grayson”, he held out a pan-sized hand for him to shake. “Colonel Cross sent me to assist you.”

“Wait”, Laroche's eyes narrowed. “Colonel? Captain? You've been with Bertrand's Militia! Who are you people?”

The giant cocked his head. “We've only been working with the Militia to find an opening. We did. He's suspected in the spread of these Swamp Beasts, and as such, is our target now.”

“And we kick his ass, Bertrand will be forced out of Ascension Parish _and_ New Marais”, Cole added. “We got this plan to take the fight to him, right into Fort Phillipe.”

“That's insane”, Laroche groaned, glancing at his men. “But my boys think they can't lose with you on their side, and you kind of blew our hideout, so what the Hell? Let's do it.”

* * *

“Fucking finally”

“Language”

“Sorry. Fucking finally, Sir!”

Cross felt his lips tug into what could have been described as a grin, but smothered it ruthlessly the moment he became aware of it. “And why would you say that, Captain?”

“Permission to speak freely?”

“Granted.”

Santos cocked her head and put one hand to her hip. “With all respect, Sir, but I've been waiting since we came here to ventilate these Militia assholes.”

“You're not the only one, Reneé”, Jackson commented. “With the exception of the boss, Neil and Ian, none of us are white. These idiots treat us like we're trash.” He cocked his rifle. “Time to show them what Blackwatch does to fuckers.”

“Yeah”, Anders turned to Cross. “Orders, Sir?”

“As much as I'd love to tell you to go in and screw shit up, I am obliged to tell you that we need to meet up with Grayson first, see whether he has the additional cannon fodder with him- I mean, the rebels.” He gestured to the massive 19th century complex just down the street at the very East of the Ascension Parish. “Once we have, we will storm the fort, take control. If anybody asks, we're officially in the business of subduing a bunch of alleged bio-terrorists. Mercer will be named our 'contact'.”

Unofficially, they were here to establish dominance and create a base to try and take out the Beast, and Mercer technically too as their priority target. But Cross and the Wisemen knew perfectly well that the Runner was a much better as a willing ally than an enemy. Besides, who knew what kind of abilities he already obtained since they've seen each other last?

MacAlistair made a noise, head cocked slightly as a small collection of pickup trucks stopped near them, and Laroche got off the front one. Agent Kuo and MacGrath were with him, as were Grayson and several dozen men of the Militia. At the same time, a small flame flared to life and was snuffed in a cloud of smoke the next second, revealing the form of another Conduit, a young woman with dreadlocks and tight leather clothes. Cross assumed she was the local 'Swamp Witch', though hadn't met her before. On that note, Agent Kuo was looking different from when he'd seen her last- with ice constantly crusting her forearms. Another Conduit, then? God, these guys apparently bred like rabbits, or either of them had 'Superhuman Magnet' as their abilities (probably MacGrath, it all started with him).

Laroche approached him, arms crossed, so his attention shifted to him fully. “Okay, Mister 'Nobody Important'. Out with it. What is the plan?”

Cross appreciated it that the man didn't try to figure out who they were and accepted that they were on the same side currently. “The plan is to position men at every possible exit to prevent the Militia from escaping. Then we'll send in the Conduits first”, He motioned towards Kuo and MacGrath, “Since they are more resistant than we are. Once they've sufficiently drawn attention and have disposed of the turrets, the Rebels will go in under the leadership of my Wisemen.”

“Wait there-”, Laroche furrowed his brows. “Who says you get to call in the shots?”

“Experience and abilities”, the Specialist pointed out. “We are fully trained and armed special military forces. You are a group of civilians with motivation. With all respect, sir, but you aren't equipped for this kind of deal.”

The rebel leader wanted to argue, shut his mouth quickly however with a shake of his head. “Yeah, guess you're right about that one.” He huffed out. “Okay, so your guys show my guys the ropes.”

“Exactly”, Santos acknowledged.

“On that note”, Kuo threw in, “There should be a device here. A transfer device. Try not to damage it too much.”

“You help us get the Militia out of here, that thing's all yours.”

“To swap powers”, the Swamp Witch commented gleefully. Kuo inhaled once, but MacGrath cut them off. “Ladies, don't argue about that now. We decide once we actually _have_ that thing.”

“Once they are out, we would like to use Fort Phillipe as our base of operation”, Cross continued without paying them attention. “Our primary mission is to suppress the infection- the Corrupted, as you call them. For this, we need more men and equipment. The fort would be an ideal base for this, the side buildings should be spacious enough for a few Blackhawks.”

Laroche frowned slightly. “I guess that would be possible. As long your guys don't make any trouble.”

“Good. Battle plan?”

“Cole and I start by going in from the north side”, Kuo pointed out. “The turrets are stationed there. Once we have destroyed them, I will meet up with some men to sweep the inside of the fort, drive these guys out.”

“I'll be with you on that one”, Heller threw in. “I don't need open spaces to fight efficiently.”

“You do that.”

The other female Conduit grinned at them. “Afta de turrets, we brin' de pain sout'. Keep dem runnin'.”

“So they won't get a clear shot”, Heller noticed. “Good idea.”

“That everything?”

“Yeah. Go.”

MacGrath and Agent Kuo dashed off to the North, while the other female Conduit ducked and tapped the floor a few times.

Then Cross heard it. Distant rumbling, like a subway running below them- but he knew for fact that New Marais did not have a subway. Heller and Grayson both made a choked sort of noise when the tremor became noticeable- and the ground exploded.

“Fuck!” The Wisemen all reeled back, rifles snapping into position. “Fucking Copperhead, Sir!”

The setting sun behind them dyed the Hydra in front of them in an eerie light. Red and glistening, like during the final days of the Outbreak. But not like the Outbreak in any way- there were no Hives, no Infected, just a lonely Copperhead that screeched once, grabbed a car off the street and threw it violently into the fort's gates to shatter them and allow them entrance- and the female Conduit cheered loudly. “C'mon baby! Rip dem a new one!” She vanished in a cloud of ashes and smokes, reappearing on the Hydra's head, and using it as a vantage point to throw orbs of fire at the panicking Militia, jumping off the next moment to let the Hydra grab another car to throw. She whirled in mid-air, laughing. “C'mon ya slowpokes, door's open!” Then she vanished in another cluster of smoke.

Cross paled. “Fucking Mercer”, he ground out, then flicked his stun baton to the side. “Team!”

Heller and Grayson were the first to charge in, racing past the Hydra and slamming into the crowd to break their order. At the same second, he heard the distinct crackle of electricity and the explosion of what were definitely turrets.

Blackwatch moved like a well-oiled machine, heading into the yard of the fort without exposing themselves and taking down several of the men stationed there within  _moments_ . Icy mist flitted past him, freezing the remaining men in place and exposing them to Heller's violent tackle.

There was the constant roar of thunder above their heads, and Cross had to duck behind a solid obstacle once to avoid one of MacGrath's tornadoes. Another Hydra (or was it the same?) rose from the courtyard in itself, swiping its body in a circular motion to knock the men there clean off their feet, then shrieked at those outside of its range. The men ducked back- directly into a tar trap set by the Fire Conduit who gleefully blew them up.

“Sir!” Santos and Redstone appeared besides him, back against the wall. “The Copperhead-”

“Is one of Mercer's”, the Specialist groaned. “Bastard started a Hive.”

“Fuck”, The Captain leaned back and dragged her palm down her face. “What does that mean?”

“Currently it means we have to assume he's still on our side”, the Colonel replied with a tired tone. “Then we need to figure out whether we are dealing with an Outbreak, or not.” To do that, they could just ask, however- different from other Runners like Greene.

“I don't think so.” Cross very nearly jabbed his stun baton into MacGrath's face when he appeared right besides them. The kid apparently hadn't noticed anything, and was grinning at them. “He would really appreciate it if you wouldn't shoot his pet.”

“Kid”, Santos growled, “You apparently haven't seen what this fucker's family had done to Manhattan.”

“You know perfectly well that he's different, right?” He made a noise at the back of his throat when suddenly all lights went off, then tapped his phone. “Zeke?”

“ _Already noticed it. The closest transformer is just across the street.”_

“Thanks, man.” The Conduit popped up from behind the cover, yelling at the Hydra. “Yo, Alex! Get me an escape route ready!” 

The Hydra rumbled in reply, then swung to the side, grabbed a damaged turret and flung it into another gate to break it open. “Thanks, man!” The Conduit ran off, seemingly unbothered by the serpentine Infected.

Cross groaned. “Hell, I'm too old for this crap.”

* * *

When the lights went out, Kuo grabbed Heller's arm  _hard_ . The Evolved winced briefly from the icy burn that settled seemingly instantly into his muscles, but didn't pull back otherwise.

“Get out”, she hissed. “Help Cole! Without electricity, he'll be at disadvantage!”

Heller nodded and just threw himself out of the closest window, eyes instantly catching sight of the Hydra in the middle of the courtyard that whirled and slammed its body into the ground to force several men to back off.

“ _Cole is fine. But there is a mortar ordnance on the roof. Get them before they blow up Laroche or Cross.”_ Heller cringed slightly at the voice inside his head, though instantly altered his direction towards the rooftops anyways. He hit the roof not even five seconds later, shoulders hunched as he rammed his body into the few hicks stationed up there to knock them out. Much like MacGrath, he pulled his punches when fighting them- they were _human_ , idiots maybe, but that wasn't enough to warrant _death_. Injury yes, but he paid attention to not throw them off the building. Not like the mortar once he head it ripped out of its mounting and crushed it. Then the light came back on, and Heller could see the tell-tale blue of MacGrath's attacks rip through a few guys on the ground. He turned to hurry to the side, where another mortar was- only to see Grayson crush it and the man operating it. The D-Code dusted his hands off. “I guess that was it.”

“Guess so too”, he turned his attention downwards, where the rebels finished sweeping the place. There were barely any hicks left standing, and those that did quickly yielded to them. The whole thing hadn't taken longer than ten minutes maybe, but the short amount of time was entirely enough to trash the whole place and either kill or cripple dozens of men.

But hicks were hicks, and as such stood no chance against trained soldiers and rightfully pissed civilians.

There was a low rumble down below and the Hydra pulled back, as Grayson stopped besides Heller. “Shit, I wouldn't have imagined that he's going off his rocker that much.”

“I'm not sure that is the case”, the Evolved muttered. “He looks pretty sane to me.”

“But...Hydras? Which poor asshole was that just now?”

“Nobody special” Heller swore at the sound of Mercer's voice. Somehow, he had managed to sneak up on him _and_ the D-Code without them noticing. But there he was, leaned against the wall and idly inspecting his fingernails. He glanced at them briefly. “As in, I didn't kill anybody, or infected them, or made a Hive. That just now, it wasn't a part of me. It _was_ me, just in a different form.” “ _I told you I was going to do a little redecoration to this place. I refuse to face the Beast without backup._ ”

That...made sense actually. But it was still fucking terrifying to think about. Heller shook himself, then paused at a hissing noise and the scent of smoke right behind them. Mercer looked up, expression confused when the Fire Conduit tackled into him to hug him briefly, then pulled back. “Ya was awesome!” She cheered, “Made dese fools scared like no tomorrow!” She cackled again, clapped his shoulder and grabbed his wrist to try and pull him along. “ _Reine des glaces_ found de machine. De rebels dragged it out, an' a wanna see it. Now come, slowpoke.”

Mercer glanced at Heller with a shrug. “You heard what she said. It's not fair to leave a lady waiting.”

Heller scoffed. “She ain't a lady.” He still moved to follow after them, though stopped to eye the D-Code. “You want to come too, or team back up with Cross?”

“Nah, I got enough headache with you infected assholes running around, I don't need to add comic book super powers to the list, but I think the Colonel would want to see what we just charged in here for.” He hummed for a moment, then shook his head. “I guess I go see what the others are doing. I bet this Laroche guy is going to treat everybody here with a drink, and I seriously don't want to miss it.”

“Save one for me, will you?”

“No promises”, Grayson turned and easily leapt off the roof, while Heller turned and went to look for the biggest crowd. He found the others quickly enough, standing around a machine in the middle of the courtyard. Laroche and Cross at least were nearby, eying the contraption suspiciously.

It was nothing fancy, a cylindrical middle section with a mounting that contained one of those Blast Cores, and two cuff-like structures on either side of it right in front of what looked like satellite dishes. Still, Kuo shivered at the sight of it. “I'm going to enjoy watching this thing burn”, she muttered, staring at it in both parts hate and terror.

“'Ow's it work?” Nix demanded to know.

“Power it up, strap the subjects in”, Mercer explained without much preamble, “Add a Blast Core as power source, flip the switch. Simple, really.”

“And suffer while it rips your insides out”, Kuo muttered.

MacGrath was drawn to the Blast Core at its center, wiggling his fingers with a delighted glint in his face. Somehow, he reminded Heller of a magpie that just found a shiny thing to steal. Then he paused and eyed one of the cuffs on one side of the machine. “Strap me in.”

Heller just arched an eyebrow, Nix grinned and Kuo looked offended. She was also the one to speak first. “What? Are you sure-”

“I thought about what Nix said”, MacGrath explained. “And don't you think it'll be the best course of action? If either of us had more powers, we can vary our attacks, take these guys by surprise, no?”

“That is-”

“Is sweet, man”, Nix declared. “A am down for it.”

“Cool”, MacGrath nodded, and turned to Kuo. “Look, I'll swap with Nix first, so you can see that it won't be like last time. Then I'll swap with you, then you and Nix. All three of us get power ups so we can kick more ass- I mean, just look what we managed to do here.”

“Bigger is better”, Nix agreed. Kuo furrowed her brows, not looking really convinced.

“Problem there”, Mercer threw in. “Each swap would consume a Blast Core, and I don't know where some more are. Also”, he rapped his knuckles against the machine. “This one looks unfinished. I'll bet you it'll burn out after the first time.”

MacGrath's face fell, though Heller cocked his head. “How about you do it at the same time then- if you really want to do it?” He suggested. “I mean-” He tapped the satellite-like dish just besides one set of cuffs. “This space here should be big enough to accommodate two smaller Conduits, right?” He eyed Nix and Kuo. “And you two are thin enough to stand here together. MacGrath gets one himself, he's larger than you two.”

“It's an idea”, Mercer confirmed. “Once the powers are in the system, it should be possible to distribute them across all of you. That way, you'd only have to do this entire thing once- saves Blast Cores and me from trying to repair this thing.”

“Also”, MacGrath added, “It might reduce the strain too. I mean, share the pain, halve the pain, or something like that?”

“We can do dis solo”, Nix shrugged. “Jus' ya an ol' Nix.”

Heller recognized the moment Kuo's decision hardened- and it came along with a spike of jealousy. “I'm in then”, the agent growled. Mostly to demonstrate to the other that she wasn't weak, and also so the other woman wouldn't have the man all for herself.  _Lord, give me strength_ . 

He caught Mercer grin briefly, then he turned around to switch the machine on. MacGrath strapped himself into one side, while the other two went to the other side and attached their wrists as well.

“Ready?”

“Ready”

“Les go, man.”

“Hurry before I change my mind and chicken out.”

Mercer eyed them briefly, then flipped the switch- and backed off with a swear on his lips as a powerful glow emitted from the device, nearly blinding him. The moment Mercer stepped back, lightning cracked out of the machine, crackling along the sides and making contact with all three- ice and fire followed. One burning, the other freezing.

It looked like it hurt.  _A lot_ . Heller grimaced in sympathy, his own toes curling as he watched all three Conduits jerk back with a pained groan as three elements bit into their bodies, dragged powers out and forced new in.

He heard the crack the machine made just as Mercer did, smelled the stench of electronics fizzling just at the same time. But getting closer was out of the question, because in that moment, the electric arches intensified and turned into massive bolts of lightning that slammed into the ground, the machine, the Conduits, to scorch everything with an enraged roar of thunder.

Then the machine broke. The Blast Core exploded into every direction, scattering dust-like shards everywhere only seconds before the device followed. Metal tore, cables ripped, supports and clamps burst from the inside like popcorn. When the cuffs ripped, all three were yanked from their position and flung across the courtyard. From position alone, the two females were thrown far further than the male, and Mercer instantly dove after the two women to catch them, while Heller moved to grab MacGrath. Out of instinct, both turned their back towards the device to shield the others from the following explosion- Heller grit his teeth when he felt a pretty large shard of metal dig into his spine just as the heat of the explosion hit and seared his shirt and skin beneath. Better him than those without a Wolverine-like healing factor he figured, though he mourned his shirt. It wasn't in tatters yet, but the back was burnt clean off.

MacGrath groaned, sparks still running over his body and his limbs shaking, but he was lucid mostly.

“Shit! That's Bertrand!”

Heller's head snapped up at the muffled voice of Laroche, his eyes narrowing the second he found the helicopter that was hovering over the rooftop of the highest building- how in the blazes could they have missed it?- and pulling away. MacGrath made a noise, struggled briefly and went limp. Mercer snarled and twisted slightly, throwing his Whipfist into the direction of the chopper and hitting the fuselage with enough force to rip through the metal. Most of the energy got lost however when the chopper spun away from the impact and fell to the side, smoking and twisting, but still airborne.

Heller snarled, claws digging into the ground as MacGrath stirred again. “He can't-” He gasped, then briefly twisted away to throw up, “Can't get away!”

“He won't”, Heller dragged him to his feet. “Mercer!”

“I stay!” The Runner snarled, then picked up his voice. “Cross! You with me! I want to know where this asshole was hiding and whether there are a few guys left to interrogate! Laroche! Look after Kuo and Nix! Heller! Get that bastard before he runs off!”

“On it”, Cross was on his feet and out of there faster than a cat off a hot roof, with Mercer hot on his heels.

“Got it” Heller acknowledged, grabbed the Conduit and more or less dragged him along, eyes glued to the smoke track the chopper trailed after it. MacGrath grunted, but quickly managed to fall in step besides him, even though it was somewhat unsafe the first few steps. Then they passed by a transformer box and the kid drained it. Within seconds, his whole demeanor shifted, his expression turned determined and the shaking stopped.

“Bertrand-” He grit his teeth and glared at the Evolved. “He can't get away!” Then he hurled himself off the wall and towards the streetcar line, landing securely on the overhead wires. Lightning sparked along his legs and calves, and thrust him to the front.

Heller cursed and set after him, the speed at which he went having taken him by surprise- but only for a moment and once that passed, he fell in step easily to chase after the Conduit. He could still smell the leaking gas and the smoke from the helicopter, so he knew where it was- and charged to the front to lead them.

When they hit the end of the overhead wire, MacGrath leapt off and hovered several yards further across the ground, then hit the street in a roll and thrust himself forwards- though slower than when he was grinding across the wires.

Heller fell back to stay besides him, and MacGrath obviously wasn't too happy about that- he kicked the floor with what was a frustrated snarl and suddenly catapulted himself two stories into the air with a pillar of god-to-honest  _ice_ \- a move that not only took Heller by surprise, but him too, because he stumbled when he came back down. 

“The Hell?!” He stared for a second at the pillar of ice that stood there on the street, then tried it again, stomping on the floor- and sure enough a second pillar erupted right beneath him to fling him back upwards.

Then he clenched his fists and the lightning that sparked across his arms shared the space with distinct flames. MacGrath's face turned giddy. “It  _worked_ ”, he grinned. “It-”

“Bertrand”, Heller said simply, watching the other's expression fall. “Right.” He spun and rushed back along the bridge separating the Old District from the Ascension Parish, then used another ice pillar to catapult himself back on top of the overhead wire of the Old District's west tram line, instantly shooting across it. Heller sped up too, racing along just beneath the Conduit at roughly the same speed- while he could go faster, he'd also rather keep an eye on the kid, because the wire made a sharp turn just ahead of them. 

MacGrath ducked and only sped up, then flung himself off the end and enveloped himself in flames to continue his breakneck speed by gliding very similar to how Mercer did- only with jets of fire propelling him further to the front. Didn't go far enough, but at any rate further and faster than his normal static hovering- though he didn't seem to have much control over it Heller realized the moment the kid more or less crashed against the ground.

He caught up to him and pulled him back to his feet, watched how he healed himself with a few sparks, and shook his head. “Leave stuff like that to the professionals, kid. At least until you have more control over it.”

“Yeah, I figured that much-” He winced briefly as he set his nose with an audible _crack_ , then spat out blood. “Bertrand's chopper got to be at the end of the quayside, right?”

Heller sniffed the air briefly, taking note of the scent of hot metal and spilled gasoline. “Yeah. Pretty close, actually.”

“Good” MacGrath dusted off his pants, then kicked off the ground again and charged towards the East line of the New Marais tram. Heller easily kept up with him, even as he leapt back to the wire to continue grinding. When he noticed the crashed helicopter and the crowd that gathered nearby at the intersection between the clock-tower-facing street and the bridge into the flooded part of the city, he sped up and easily left the Conduit behind. Even as he slowed down to avoid slamming into the civilians, he was still faster, then approached the wreckage. There were a few Militia gathered between the civilians, but the moment they saw him, all of them backed off fearfully. Heller figured it was because he was still stained with his own blood and had various holes from explosions and bullets in his shirt.

Plus probably his claws.

He inhaled sharply through his teeth, eyes narrowing on the wreckage. “Looks bad”, he muttered, slowly circling the wreck. The pilot was very much dead, but...that was a bullet wound in the middle of his head- and it was shot from  _behind_ .

The people were murmuring, the Militia weakly protesting- and Heller's focus shifted. MacGrath had arrived, just glared at the few hicks before he obviously decided they weren't worth his attention. Instead he climbed into the wreckage, calling for Bertrand.

“Already checked that”, Heller threw in, “The only body I found is the pilot. He was shot.”

“Ah, shit”, MacGrath groaned, then blinked. “Wait, _shot_?”

“From behind, so...” He cocked his head. “Bertrand killed him? Why?”

“Guess we could ask him if we find him. Or his guys”, the Evolved pointed out with a nod to the few hicks that obviously tried to back off without drawing attention.

“Best plan-” MacGrath cut himself off at the sound of a deep growl. Heller's brows came down, his nose twitching. “Fucking Corrupted”, he scoffed. “There are some here.”

“Yeah, but I haven't heard one of them sound like that-” The ground shook. _Violently_.

MacGrath's head snapped to Heller, then back towards the city. There was thick fog crawling along the base of the clock tower...only it  _wasn't_ fog. It was  _smoke_ . 

Something was burning, and people started screaming when another ear-shattering roar tore the normal city noises apart.

MacGrath was moving before Heller even realized it, forcing him to charge after him with a swear. He caught up to him quickly enough, grabbing his shoulder roughly to make him stop. “We do  _not_ run blind into an unknown situation”, he snapped at him.

The Conduit twisted slightly, trying to break the hold, but couldn't actually do so. “Let go- people need our help!”

“You won't be able to help them if you are _dead_ -” He cut himself off and dragged the kid behind his frame when the ground shook and the twin explosions of two cars on either side blew the smoke away.

Revealing a behemoth of Corrupted right in the middle of the city. And it wasn't very happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First real victory against the Militia, and getting a power up, too.
> 
> Oh. Smells like Boss time.


	18. You called the Thunder

_Big_ was an understatement. This thing was  _giant_ . Standing at easily four to five stories tall, with four crab-like legs beneath a hunched-over armored body. Its arms were tucked in, much like those of a mantis, and its pointed head had way too many eyes. Also, a split lower jaw and a whole lot of teeth to finish the look, because it wasn't creepy enough.  
When it reared up, its chest spread open along a jagged line like a maw, folding to the sides similar to a pair of wings so it could inhale deeply and roar into the darkened sky, shattering windows around them from the sheer pressure of its voice alone.

Cole hissed, realizing he had subconsciously stepped back. “No. Way.”

Heller growled too, voice harsh. “No. No. I see this shit- But I know what you did in the swamp, this one's all mine.” It occurred to Cole that he wasn't talking to him. “I fucking know! Armor's too thick, claws won't work. It's not the first giant monster I'm killing solo.” He flicked his left arm to the side, pressing the claws together- and they started to melt into each other. Bony talons became a bony blade, wrist and elbow locked together, and scales turned thick and massive, a process that took only a few seconds at most. Heller's resultant sword looked like a mixture between Alex's blade and something resembling a penguin wing, if Cole had to be honest with himself. But it looked sturdy enough to do some real damage.

The monster roared again and stomped towards them, its tiny eyes focusing on them as it crashed cars beneath without even slowing down.

The Conduit clenched his fists and lightning came to life along his arms. “And now?”

“Now we will punch this thing until it is dead”, Heller said. “Hopefully the people are smart enough to stay out of its way.”

“Good plan” Cole threw his hand to the front, firing a lightning bolt at it- the energy dispersed harmlessly against the shell, and the titan didn't even bother to acknowledge it. Its maw was hanging slightly open, drool dripping down in long sticky threads as it approached them with thundering steps. Heller's own attempt to stop it by physically tackling into its front leg only halted it briefly so it could shift its balance to the other three legs, then it continued moving. Cars beneath were crushed, balconies were ripped off the face of buildings.

People screamed, and suddenly Cole became aware of the Militia that was still around- he groaned and was halfway through turning on them to knock them back- when he realized that they were targeting the Behemoth, not him or Heller as they've done just before it appeared. They did jump however when the Evolved landed besides them in a crouch with a slightly unhinged expression. “Fucking awesome! It doesn't even fall over!” He paused and glanced at the more or less terrified guys. “What about you, huh? Suddenly, you're not the big strong Heroes of New Marais anymore, aren't you?”

Despite the situation, Cole snickered. “Yeah. What about it, wanna show them how we deal with a giant swamp monster? Unless”, He fixed the men a glare, “Unless you can prove to us that you are not just playing the role of the big guys, but actually are.” He spun around and threw a grenade at the Behemoth, watching how the electrical sparks sizzled off as it bounced away.

“He's right”, Heller cracked his free hand. “You got the technology. Use it. Or get out of the way and let us stop this fucker from tearing the city apart.” He dove to the side and yanked a car up, throwing it with high precision at the thing's face. It just stopped briefly, then snarled loudly and swung its massive arm, ripping a building to pieces and chucking rubble like projectiles at them. Cole caught them out of instinct with a shield that was made of ice and lightning, protecting himself and the men behind his back. 

The Militia leader ground his teeth together as he brought his missile launcher into position. “We're not letting a bunch of freaks tell us how to do our job! Don't we, men?!”

“We can take it!” The others yelled. A part of the group raced to the side to get into a better position, while the others fired their rocket launchers, and the missiles impacted into the giant monster, exploding in a violent ball of fire-  
The effect was practically non-existent.

The monster roared and jerked to the front, jaw spread wide open- and spitting several massive green globs at them. Cole threw his hands out to bounce the liquid back and shield the Militia hicks on their side- but when the stuff hit the street and walls, it started eating into the rock hissing and bubbling.  
Acid. It could spit acid. The Conduit wrinkled his nose. “God, what is it with this town?!”

“No idea”, Heller grunted. “I'll distract it. You look for any opening.” He catapulted himself upwards and into the thing's face, slamming into it with so much force its head swayed to the side, but it twisted and snapped at him the next moment. The Evolved dodged easily, hit a roof hard to jump off it and tackle into it again, this time with his blade lodging itself into its armor. The Behemoth reeled backwards, momentarily lifting its front legs- then it stomped back down and smacked its wrist hard into the Evolved with enough force to rip him out of its throat and send him crashing into a building. It hissed and slammed its arm into it, pulverizing parts of the building with frightening ease.  
The wound on its throat was starting to grow shut again, but not fast enough. Cole swore and targeted this area with his bolts. Several thousand volts crashed into the Behemoth's system, slid _inside_ through the crack in its shell, and the monster cringed back with a hiss. In that moment, Heller lunged out of the rubble and threw a violent punch into the monster's face, then instantly jumped away to avoid being crushed into another wall.

The Behemoth caught itself roaring and stomped hard on the street, shattering the asphalt. Cole yelled at the men to pull back to the quayside, bringing up the rear in the process. Heller hit the ground besides them, hissing in pain and holding his side. His chest seemed to be literally dented in, and his shirt was mostly in tatters. The Conduit winced at the sight.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I'll be fine, it's just a few ribs.” A terrifying grin revealed the Evolved's teeth. “I've forgotten how good it feels just to cut loose.”

Good? Cole wouldn't have used that expression, but whatever floated his boat. He figured the virus was actually powered by masochism. He grimaced. “Can you try to keep distracting it? We try to hit something vital.”

“The joints”, one of the hicks suddenly threw in, “And the face. The armor's thinner in those areas, no?”

“It is” Cole spun around and stomped the ground hard, generating massive spears of ice in a very similar manner to Alex's Groundspikes- they hit the Behemoth, stopping it briefly. But then it stomped down again and shattered most of the ice, followed by another fountain of acid it spat at them.  
Heller dodged to the front, Cole spun and threw the men off their feet with a shockwave, then dived out of the way himself as the green liquid hit the floor and instantly started eating through it for several seconds before its power petered out. But it gave him an idea- it had to open its mouth to spit at them, and much like with the Devourers, its outside was way tougher than its inside.

In other words, they had to shoot its mouth the moment it wanted to spit on them.

But then the titan altered its tactic- it jerked to the front and dug its arms into the floor. Cole remembered that  _too_ from Alex, so he whirled and knocked the hicks back again, while also lunging away himself, not a second too late when massive tentacles erupted from the floor, lashing out at anything they touched- and they had enough force in them to demolish the cars there.

“I got this”, Heller bull-rushed the thing's wrists as long it was still rooted to the ground, tackling into its arms with the force of a pickup truck.  
The impact was immense, and must have twisted at least _something_ in the thing's wrist- but if it noticed, it didn't let them see.

Instead, it just turned its head, lower jaw flaring open, as it tried to bite the Evolved, Cole fired several lightning bolts in a rapid succession at its maw, and the giant bastard actually  _choked_ . “Haha! Pucker up, bitch!”

The Behemoth's tiny eyes flicked to him, and it snarled in its chest, seconds before the Militia at his back gave a cry of alarm, and started shooting. Not at him- but at the Corrupted swarming them out of  _nowhere_ .

He grit his teeth when realization settled- this thing was just like the thing he fought in the cemetery- a leader that summoned its own personal army- but instead of ankle-nippers, it had control over the bug people mutants- which made it a whole lot more dangerous in an instant.

“Shit!” One of the hicks swore, “Where do these things come from?!”

“Why don't they-” Another started to say but cut himself off just in time.

“The big guy!”, Cole snapped, then spun around and fired a tornado at the group of Corrupted to fling them away from his current allies. “The big guy summons them!”

He noticed the men's expressions turn startled for a moment, but he figured it was for a whole other reason than the realization that it was a pack leader. He and the others already suspected that the Conduit controlling these things was working closely with the Militia- but now their creations attacked them as well.

Either they couldn't trust their own weapons, or these things went feral  _really_ fast.

Cole noticed the Behemoth opening its jaws to roar again, and instantly fired another barrage of bolts at it to halt it briefly- but it recovered entirely too fast and instead continued to stomp towards them. It was thankfully slow, but also wouldn't stop.

Maybe they could trap it in pitfalls?

It halted in its motion and dug its arms back into the ground, spawning another half a dozen cluster of tentacles all over the place, though Cole and the Militia managed to evade them. Heller was laughing maniacally as he hit the street in a crouch, then bounced off again to thrust his body into the creature again. The thing swayed and yanked its arms free, its jaw snapping shut as it tried to eat the much smaller Evolved.

“Better things than you have tried!” He shouted, “You're not something I haven't seen!”

The giant monster snarled and spat another wave of acid at him, flooding half the street in the process. Cole grimaced as he was forced to back up further. “Dude! Don't trash-talk the giant monster throwing up  _acid_ !” He had to swing around and take care of another pack of swamp beasts, stomping the floor to freeze all of them solid within the blink of an eye- then they were easy targets for the Militia.

But it was starting to affect him too, his head hurt and his throat burnt, and he easily recognized it as a sign that his batteries were empty. He needed to recharge, so he hurried to the side towards a street lamp, latching onto it to drain energy directly from the city grid. It rendered him vulnerable for a short moment however- vulnerable and unable to react, and the Behemoth used that moment to rear up and flare its chest open to inhale deeply.

Heller charged it in an instant, but was only a few split seconds too slow- and the giant monster belched out a massive cloud of noxious green gas with so much force, it shattered windows and flung anything lighter than a car several yards down the street.

Cole momentarily forgot to breathe from the rank stench of the gas, while Heller swore violently, shielding his face from the cloud. Gotta suck having virally altered super senses, Cole thought briefly, then realized that he was also flat on the floor down the street and more or less defenseless.

Coughing, he scrambled back to his feet, shaking his head to try and clear it from the cottony feeling that tried to settle- and froze.   
The hicks that had been with him lay across the street, writhing and choking- until the first exploded out of his clothes and turned into a swamp monster within the blink of an eye. Everybody else followed in an instant, all of them screeching and squirming on the floor as they fought to get on their mismatched feet.

Then the titan roared once, and all of the Corrupted spun to face them.

“Oh shit!” Cole grabbed Heller and dragged him to his feet- the Evolved was moving sluggishly and unstable, and kept swearing under his breath, but at least he seemed to be fully lucid.

Several Corrupted leapt at them at that moment. Heller snarled and moved a little unsteadily, though his blade still ripped through the things to send the bodies splattering against the ground. “Fuck”, he hissed. “That thing ain't just the leader!” He shoved at his shoulder. “Call Cross”, he snapped. “Tell him we got the Hive Queen here- and tell him we know the infection process now!”

“What about-”

“I take care of the rabble!” Heller snapped, then his eyes flashed. “No, I still have this under control, you asshole!”

Cole knew he didn't mean him, and just rolled to the side to get out of the current fighting zone, then yanked his phone free and punched in Colonel Blackwatch's number.

“ _Cross. Speak.”_

“We found your Hive Queen!”, Cole hissed. “And we know how it infects the people-” He cut himself off, whirled around and threw several grenades- writhed in fire and ice as well as electricity- at the Behemoth that had spread open its ribcage again and as such, revealed its lungs. The blow certainly showed some effect, but it was less than what he hoped for, though it did back off with a choke and curled its body protective over its chest.

“It's a giant thing just near the clock tower!” The Conduit continued with a hiss. “And it turns people with its _breath_! Spits a giant green cloud that turns people on contact!”

There was no answer at first, but the Colonel yelling at his team.  _“Keep that thing occupied.”_

Then the call cut off. Cole grunted and turned his attention back to the monster, just witnessing it sink its arms into the ground again. Instantly, he targeted its elbows again, deliberately choosing that area that Heller had tackled into before- this time he avoided using his lightning bolts and instead chucked several cars at it as fast as he could.

Something  _cracked_ on his last car and the giant froze for a second- then it screamed in pain and jerked back, folding only one arm back into the correct position.  
Cole grinned. At the same time, Heller finished tearing the newly formed Corrupted apart and instantly dove back at the giant, slamming his body into its face again to throw it off balance. It smashed into an abandoned building at its side, the speed at which it went pulverizing the house and threw it off balance. Cole cheered. “Oh yeah! You're gonna wish you were never born!” He paused to dodge the rubble the thing threw about as it tore itself free. “Or hatched. Or whatever you are.”

Heller snorted. “What was that about the trash-talking?”

“Hey, it's personal now. I was about to make these hicks into my new friends!” They dodged another glob of acid and his expression fell. “You think we could have helped them?”

Heller shook his head, picking up a car and chucking it at the Behemoth. “I don't think so. This just now- it's exactly like Redlight or Blacklight, only a lot faster. Once the Infection takes hold, the victims are little more than husks. If they are aware, they'll wish for death.” He grunted once and dragged him backwards to avoid another few tentacles. “Trust me. I know what it is like to be a zombie. I don't wish that on anybody.”

He understood. Cole grit his teeth and fashioned another grenade just as the Behemoth flared open its ribcage again. When the projectiles hit, the monster stumbled back with another pained yowl, and Heller charged in. Cole had seen his arms twist during their conversation, and they continued to change even as the Evolved catapulted himself off the floor to slam himself back into the giant monster. It snarled and flailed its remaining claw into his direction, and he ducked to the side to grab at the limb- locking it in place with absurdly muscular arms.

With one kick off the armored body of his foe, he wrenched the arm into the completely wrong direction, snapping it with a thundering  _crack_ and a pained screech from the monster. 

Immediately, however, it jerked back to the front and exhaled another massive cloud into Cole's direction, forcing the Evolved to back off. The Conduit held his breath and aimed his lightning bolts at its eyes- hitting them dead on so the beast writhed and yowled.

Then he had to dodge to the side as more Corrupted swarmed him. Civilians this time, he thought, but also knew he wouldn't be able to help them. Not anymore, so he set his jaw and spun on his heel, crashing another vortex into them to fling them through the air.

Then the sky started burning.

Or, it felt that way when dozens of missiles impacted into the streets and their explosions dyed the dark air into vibrant colors of red and orange. Cole instantly scrambled out of the way, seconds before Heller came out of nowhere and snatched his collar to drag him on top of a roof nearby.  
From his new vantage point, Cole could see the Blackhawk Helicopter swoop down towards the Behemoth, spewing missiles without pause and setting ground and Corrupted on fire.   
The giant monster roared and spat acid at the chopper, but the vehicle easily dodged to the side and swung around for another run. At the same time, he became aware of the group of men appearing on another roof, armed with missile launchers. Military-grade missile launchers packing much more power and incendiary ammunition.

Blackwatch's giant soldier hit the roof besides Heller, just jabbed his chin once into the direction of the Behemoth, and the Evolved instantly set after him as the guy physically threw himself into the thing's front legs, sending it stumbling. When Heller crashed into its hind legs, he knocked them cleanly out from under its body and it collapsed into the streets, screeching.

Cole chucked another few grenades into its maw the moment it was open- it choked and squirmed, ducking behind its damaged arms to protect itself.  
Then a human-shaped bullet hit it with full force, sending it crashing into another building with a terrified squeal.

Heller seemed to materialize out of nowhere besides Cole, groaning. “I  _told_ him I got this-” He cut himself off, eyes narrowing at the sound of what was definitely armor cracking.  
It wasn't the sound of the shell breaking that accompanied Alex's feeding- it sounded like a steam boiler explode.

The very second his brain made the connection with the boiler, clouds of green gas hissed out of the Behemoth's body, before its armor suddenly exploded into every direction. Clouds billowed out of its carcass, swirling like a tornado and potentially turning any on-lookers into more Corrupted. Alex made a surprised yowl and shot out of the fog with a bewildered expression, obviously intent on getting as much space between himself and the rank stench of the gas as possible.

Was it dying? Should it be that easy?

But...Cole's eyes narrowed to slits. They had theorized that a Conduit was responsible for the creation of those Corrupted. The Behemoth could make Corrupted out of normal civilians. Conduits didn't necessarily have to look human.

That weren't its death throes. That was it getting ready to  _run_ . Cole inhaled once and held his breath, then lunged down into the swirling vortex. Inside, the gas was whirling around him with an ear-splitting howl, making him cringe back from the sheer volume. With grit teeth, he forced himself to continue further, realizing when he was halfway in that he didn't encounter anything even resembling the Behemoth- and by now he should have found something.

Which meant, it was back in its human shape, and as he sent out a pulse of energy, it came back with the signals of a  _human_ .

_Gotcha_

Cole maneuvered himself closer, still holding his breath, and blinked through the whirling clouds of gas and dust. His heart skipped the moment he saw a naked form crouching on the ground, coated in fast receding armor plates. When the figure lifted its head, Cole gasped involuntarily, inhaling some of the mist- the face was still half that of the Behemoth, the teeth and additional eyes were slowly vanishing- but still it was unmistakably.

Bertrand.

His wide-terror-filled eyes found him instantly, and Cole could swear he heard the man inhale sharply. He allowed himself to smirk at him, even as a particularly strong blast of gas took his sight again and drove him to the side so he could finally breathe again. He sucked in air, held his breath, and whirled back around to rush back, giving off radar pulses continuously to find Bertrand's track, so he could follow it once he discovered it.

And the track led right towards the quayside, where the distinct roar of a speedboat drew Cole's attention. His head snapped to the side so he could witness the man escape across the channel and into Flood Town, but even at that distance he could almost  _taste_ the fear.

He had discovered his secret- one that would mean the end for this man's hypocritical campaign- and Bertrand  _knew_ it.

Cole leaned against the railing with a smirk on his face. Bertrand wouldn't be able to get away with this. Not anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rather short chapter this one was. Altered some of the Behemoth's abilities so it becomes a real threat.


	19. Burning Wells

Heavy steps approached him and he turned, half expecting Alex or Heller. It was Colonel Blackwatch instead. His face was set into a frown as he glared at the open water where Bertrand's speedboat vanished.

“That Bertrand?”

Cole furrowed his brows and nodded. “He's also the giant thing you and your guys just blew the shit out of.”

The man scowled. “And you didn't tell me, why?”

Cole snorted. “Because we literally just learnt a few hours ago that he was a Conduit to begin with- and even then, we still didn't know what his powers were.” He waved towards the destruction the Behemoth had wrought. “This took me by surprise just as much as it did you guys.” He cut himself off, sighed and dropped his shoulders. “How many casualties?”

“Still trying to determine”, the Colonel replied. “Seemed to have affected a lot civilians, though, the gas managed to get into their homes through the shattered windows. My team's cleaning them out as we speak.”

“Shit” He clenched his fist. Another bunch of people dead because he was dragging his ass.

“You frustrated about not being able to have foreseen this?” 

Cole blinked, glancing at the Specialist. Could he read minds?

The man snorted. “No, I can't read minds. But I can read your face. You're like an open book, MacGrath.”

“Obviously”, He exhaled once. “What are you planning to do now?”

“Now I'll make the call. Get the news to Detrick.”

He blinked. “Why?”

“Because of the Corrupted. People getting infected and turned into drones by a thing that can blend in with the population? Makes Bertrand Runner enough to count. Though if you act fast, Blackwatch won't be able to steal your thunder- no pun intended.”

“No? From what I heard, you guys would butt in as soon you detect only the faintest trace of Runner activity.”

“Yeah, but most of our equipment and manpower is tied up at the East Coast. The Beast's still our top priority, and Rooks got his hands full trying to slow it down.” He snorted angrily. “If anything, it's only speeding up. It's closer than three hundred miles already. And we can't manage to stop the damn thing.”

“Double shit.” Which meant he had to get more Blast Cores. And _fast_. Cole exhaled again. “What about your team? That cloud explosion took me by surprise.”

“We've been too far away, the gas was diluted, and everything else got filtered out by our gas masks, though...” He pinched the bridge of his nose, “Not sure whether they would have worked against the pure stuff. Grayson at least was unaffected, guess it only works on humans.”

“Alex and Heller?”

“Both physically fine, if you ignore the disorientation.”

“Disorientation?”

“That gas plays _havoc_ on our senses”, Alex threw in, shuffling closer. Cole swore he hadn't even noticed him approach. “Basically, the stench was so potent it knocked loose our brains. We can be lucky if we smell anything else at the end of the day.”

“Ouch”, The Conduit grimaced.

“Cross”, Alex added, “Captain Santos requested your presence. Apparently there are some police officers who'd like to talk to the one in charge.”

“Fucking wonderful”, the man scoffed, throwing his hands up. “And Laroche's gone dark already, right?”

“Correct.”

“I'll talk to them. And take charge of this entire shit show here.”

As he walked off, the two were left in silence, until Alex broke it. “I've seen you use ice and fire. The transfer worked?”

Cole lifted a hand and let lightning run over it, focusing to switch to ice, then fire. “Yup. How are Nix and Kuo?”

“Awake. But”, Alex cocked his head. “They didn't get any additional abilities.”

Cole felt a stab between his ribs. “No?”

“No. Guess it's either because the machine blew before it could finish the transfer, or maybe you were better suited for acquiring new powers since your genetic code is constantly being altered by the Blast Cores anyways.” He shrugged one shoulder. “They're with Zeke at the moment. Or should be, he and Dana arrived when I took off.”

Cole turned and slowly walked back to the street. “What do you think about this?”

“Things are getting hot and fast.”

“Yeah, I was aware. But you've seen the whole battle, right? Through Heller.”

“I did.”

“Any thoughts about Bertrand?”

The Runner furrowed his brows. “His powers are...impressive.”

“Thought you could do something similar?”

“The infection through the air yes. Could do that as infant.” He sounded way too proud of that one. “However, I'm more amazed about him transforming.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Imagine, all that mass- and nothing was left when he fled. At the same time, we didn't even know he had transformed until he showed himself. Which means, he basically generated all that mass near instantly.” 

“Could be he's got a better grip on this Conduit power source than I have”, Cole suggested. “You can create matter with enough energy, right?” Star Trek said as much, after all.

“Yes. Quite frankly, it is amazing.” Cole saw the glint in Alex's eyes and could already guess that he actually had a different word in mind. Something along the lines of 'delicious'. He shuddered briefly.

“If we face him again, what will you do?”

“Kill him when he transformed. Use the Biomass to build something against the Beast”, Alex pointed out simply. Cole nodded. He already suspected as much.

“Once you get him, tell me everything he knew. I'm damn sure he knows more about Wolfe's work than he lets on. And I want to know.”

* * *

Alex and Cole had reached Ground Zero soon enough. Cross's Wisemen were just taking out the last Corrupted, all of them jumping the first time Alex's tendrils snaked from the ground to add the Swamp Beasts' mass to the storage he installed beneath the city. Now he had one in Ascension Parish, one in the Old Town, one in the swamp. He'd need more, preferably in the other districts as well, if he wanted to be prepared. He grinned and waved at the Wisemen, and got rude gestures in return.

Cole made a disgruntled noise besides him. “He's gonna pay for this”, he growled.

“He will. But Bertrand's only means to an end, an obstacle. You shouldn't lose sight of what's important”

The Conduit exhaled. “You're right. The Beast is coming, and I'm still at only three Blast Cores-”

“Four”, the Runner corrected. “You kind of absorbed the one in the transfer device too. Was probably the reason you got Nix's and Kuo's powers and not the other way around.”

“Okay, so four”, Cole furrowed his brows. “I think we still need more.”

He probably did, though that was another bag of problems waiting to be opened. “You up for consuming another one so soon?” The third had knocked him out for quite a while, and from what he could piece together from Wolfe's work, the constant change of a Conduit's DNA wasn't too healthy- the doctor had theorized that it could possibly take years off their lives or cause chronic diseases.

Cole scowled. “I have to. I'm the only one who can use the RFI.”

Alex's brow came down. He really shouldn't give him the possibility to wreck himself any further- but he was right. Time was short. “When I left, I heard how Laroche was contacted by one of his men. Apparently, they took a Blast Core off a patrol in Flood Town.”

“Flood Town?” Cole's eyes widened, then he snapped his head towards the flooded part north of their current position. “No juice there.” He grabbed his phone and picked Dunbar's number. “Zeke? You with Laroche in Flood Town?”

“ _Uh, yes. Was just about to call you. Uh, we kind of need electricity here-”_

“And I kind of need the Blast Core Laroche's supposed to have.”

Alex heard the sharp intake of breath from the other end, then the shuffling.  _“How do you know, MacGrath?”_ Laroche sounded surprised and angry at the same time.

Cole eyed the Runner briefly. “Alex heard it”, he said eventually. “Just a fair word of warning- he got freakishly good ears.”

“ _God, it's just one thing after the other with you Conduits-”_

“You have the Core or don't you?” Cole cut him off.

“ _Yeah, I got it.”_ Laroche hummed audibly for a moment. _“Tell ya what- you switch on the power here in Flood City, and the thing's yours.”_

“Deal” Cole clicked his phone off, and eyed Alex. “You know where the next transformer is?”

“I do”

“I'll get the Core then, activate it, and take a nap. Promise.”

Alex thought about it for a moment. “Sounds like a plan.” Plus, he really had to get to Laroche- he had heard the muffled breathing in the background that had sounded way too much like someone trying to inhale as silently as possible so he wouldn't hear. He still did- and with Dana in Flood Town, he knew perfectly well where he was going to be.

First though- the last few Corrupted crumpled under sustained gun fire. Alex just nodded at Cross who was in the process of talking with Robertson, then turned to Heller, who stood aside the carnage and was holding a phone. He had already altered his appearance back into his normal form, and from the static inside his head Alex could guess that the change and regeneration felt anything but pleasant.

“Yeah, I helped MacGrath fight this huge-ass bug monster. It could spit acid and sprout tentacles, and punching it in the face didn't even interest it. It was _awesome-_ Hah, I know. You should have seen the kid chuck those electrical grenades at it. Was just _beautiful_.”

“Aw, thank you”, Cole cooed with a wide grin.

Heller snorted, and turned back to his conversation. “He's still a dumbass. Anyways, we learnt that the Bond Villain was in truth that giant monster, and now we're going to kick his ass three ways to next week- I'll be careful, you know me. Greet Ragland for me and sleep tight, baby girl.” He put the phone into his pocket after a short pause and glanced at the other two. “Now what?”

“Now we'll go over into the Flood Town”, Alex pointed out. “Cole will switch the energy back on, then we meet up with Laroche. After that, we'll see.” He cocked his head. “You in?”

“Wait”, Heller crossed his arms. “Didn't we just meet that guy? Thought he would be back at Fort Phillipe to celebrate their victory?”

“Nope. Since he's a civilian, he doesn't subscribe to what we think as logical- instead of securing his position, he and his men chased after the Militia almost immediately, and ran themselves into a tight spot with no energy and probably surrounded by God knows how many hicks.”

The Evolved sighed. “So we need to go there and make sure they don't get themselves killed, do we?”

“That is about correct.”

“Also”, Cole threw in, “Laroche got one Blast Core, and I want it.”

Heller simply shrugged in reply. “As long we get to show these guys who's boss, I'm in.”

Alex nodded and turned his attention to Cross. “You okay with us heading over to the Flood Town?”

“I couldn't care less”, the Colonel replied with a short scoff. “You ever figured what I'll tell my superiors about the fucking Hydra you spawned?”

“Lie. Blackwatch's good at it”, The Runner answered simply, then led Cole off the main street and into one side alley where a transformer was. “Do your thing. The next is directly in the middle of the West Bridge.”

“Got it”, Cole went up to the transformer, grabbed it with one hand- and fired his so-dubbed 'Tesla Missile' into the direction of the street. Heller made a surprised noise, more even when a few moments later some lights lit up around the bridge. Cole blinked once, then let go and dusted his hands off. “Okay, so that was the first one. By the way, your 'right in the middle of the West Bridge' actually meant 'on top of the middle of the West Bridge'.”

“So? It's not like it's going to make a difference.” He really didn't see the problem. High position, good to defend- He was certain the Militia was going to try to stop them from powering up the district, but between him, Heller and Cole, it was going to be a cakewalk. 

Then he paused, realizing that the north end of the bridge was still pulled up. And that didn't make sense. With a sigh, he took his own phone as they headed over to the newly activated transformer, calling Dana.

“Please tell me you are not in Flood Town.”

“ _Uhm. I'm not?”_

“Thank you, even though I know you're lying.” He dragged his palm down his face. “How did you get over there anyways?”

“ _By boat, obviously.”_

“And you didn't stop to think that it would have been maybe the safer choice to wait until the bridge is down so you actually have a way back?”

Dana snorted.  _“I'm not alone. Nix and Kuo are with me, as are Laroche and Zeke. We can deal with this. But we need to do this.”_

He stopped. “How do you even know that Bertrand is in Flood Town? This whole thing happened like ten minutes ago.”

The pause at the other end was maybe a bit too long.  _“We didn't.”_

Alex swore. “Damn it, Dana! Then why are you in Flood Town?!”

“ _To offer help. This place makes the Warren look tame in comparison. Since Katrina it's been trashed, and the Militia thinks they got free reign. Laroche wanted to keep the Militia in the ropes by striking now, just after taking control of the Fort.”_ She scoffed. _“I know you don't like it, but I want to help. Also, Nix and Kuo managed to secure another hideout. One with a roof and four walls, so we can work our stuff there. Would make it easier to do shit here in Flood Town without having to return to the Martini.”_

Cole had obviously discovered and activated the next transformer, lowered the bridge, and was eying him expectantly. “Another hideout? Sweet. Then I'll know where to sleep the Core off.”

“ _Yeah, I think you're going to love it. But before you do, you'll tell us everything that happened. For example, why the Hell is Bertrand in Flood Town?”_

“Oh, you're going to love this- he's the Conduit responsible for the Corrupted”, Cole threw in.

“ _...You will tell us everything once you are here, MacGrath”_

* * *

Flood Town certainly deserved its name, Heller thought. Most of the streets were easily two to three feet under water, and basically all houses were unusable. But people still lived there, which surprised him. In New Orleans, the flooded districts had been abandoned. Here, people simply moved into the upper levels of their homes, or to the rooftops to live out in tents, or they lived on platforms put together from trash metal that floated on top of the water.

But they didn't get to catch a break- the Militia were giving them a hard time, they knew, but strangely, there were none of those guys to be seen  _anywhere_ .

Then MacGrath stopped suddenly, lightning coming up- just in time for one of those Vermaak 88 mercenaries to make his appearance, clad in combat gear, trench coat and full-face mask, yelling at them that Flood Town was theirs and they were supposed to leave. Mercer grunted disbelievingly. “That guy serious?”

“I think so”, the Sergeant commented, then turned to MacGrath. “You up for punching him in the face if necessary?”

“I am, it's just questionable whether it is necessary-” He got cut off when the guy lunged right at them, and he threw a shockwave into his face to make him back off. Just, that apparently pissed the guy off, and he jabbed his palm towards them to blast them with ice. Mercer growled in his throat as he backed off, while Heller grumbled under his breath and shielded his face with his arm.

MacGrath flexed his fingers, generated lightning wrought in flames surrounding his arm- and pounced on the guy. The mercenary swung his rifle into his direction, but the kid quickly ducked to the side and ran his shoulder into his guts to knock him off balance, then slammed both palms flat against his chest and fired off a pair of lightning bolts from point-blank directly into the mercenary. The guy dropped back with a swear, and the kid finished him off with another powerful lightning bolt, making him go still.

MacGrath dusted off his hands and brushed off pieces of frost clinging to his shirt. “Okay, I guess that answers my question. Assholes too. So they're on the shit list.” He hummed for a moment. “Above or below the Militia?”

Heller snorted amused. “Too soon to tell, but since they got military training and super powers, I'd say they're above the Corrupted even.” He turned to Mercer. “You think you can get some information from this guy?”

Mercer knelt down to extend a few tendrils towards the unconscious mercenary, but they curled backwards with a grunt from him. “Nope. No chance.”

“But, uh, I didn't give him a head trauma?” MacGrath wondered.

“He got a sub-zero metabolism.” Mercer scoffed. “Much like Kuo. And it doesn't matter if _they_ can live with it, Blacklight can't. So no consuming these guys. Yet.”

“Huh”, Heller turned his attention to the transformer, where more mercenaries appeared. All of them were waving their rifles, and unlike the Militia, actually went for cover so they wouldn't be too easily dispatched. “That doesn't make sense”, he noticed. “If they're mercenaries, why are they shooting at everything that moves? They're not paid to do that.”

“I guess whatever Bertrand did to them made them go crazy”, Mercer suggested as his arms bristled and turned into his Muscle Mass. “And they probably want to take revenge for what he's done to them- but sadly, they also attack _us_ , so they won't be allies.”

MacGrath shrugged. “I can live with that. Wasn't going to work with a bunch of Neo-Nazis anyways.”

It was just a small group, and they seriously overestimated themselves when facing the Electric Conduit, ZEUS and HADES all together- their body armor offered more protection than whatever the Militia was wearing, but they were far more fragile than Super Soldiers. Heller didn't even need to transform and just had to throw a few light punches- and these guys crumpled like paper. Mercer had even less problems, was content basically clapping his hands to clear a path. That way, they reached the second-to-last transformer, and MacGrath did this lightning move again, just this time, when he snapped back to himself, he furrowed his brows. “There are a lot of these ice freaks around”, he pointed out, “Like...like they want to stop me from putting the energy back on.”

“I guess they want to keep the control”, the Sergeant assumed. “Without energy, the people won't risk going against them, correct?” He huffed out and cracked his knuckles. “Shame they have no idea what they are up against. I wouldn't have minded a fair fight.”

“What?” Mercer questioned, “Three against a hundred isn't fair?”

“It's not if these guys stand no chance”, the Evolved grinned, then clapped MacGrath's back. “Now come. Let's get that last thing up and running, then we can look for Laroche.”

MacGrath smirked. “Sure thing, dad.”

* * *

Why would anyone even fight for this place? Heller wondered after they switched on the last transformer and had to remove a whole lot of Vermaak idiots. Wasn't like there was anything worth of having in this place, but these guys- they were looking for something. Maybe Laroche would know something?

They found the rebel's camp easily- a derelict large building, probably an old industrial complex, or maybe an office building from the 20 th century. Only one wall and some pieces of the floors remained. Heller spotted Dunbar and Laroche, along with Dana, Agent Kuo and Nix standing around a map on the floor, talking to each other. Some more men hung around nearby, smoking or playing cards.

All of them looked up when they approached, and all of them seemed very much delighted.

“Okay guys, we're here. Party can begin”, MacGrath grinned as he walked up to Dunbar.

“We already noticed the light show in the town”, Laroche pointed out without looking up. “And thanks for fixing the energy grid.”

“Hey, was all purely in self-preservation. I got no juice, and I get cranky.” He paused and cocked his head. “You noticed these Vermaak idiots running around?”

“We did”, Dana confirmed. “But they weren't interested in us, I guess. Or, at least, not into us non-Conduits. Pretty sure they gave Kuo and Nix the stink-eye.”

“Dey jus' jealous”, Nix snorted, “'Cause we look better.”

“They were looking for something”, Kuo pointed out. “But what for, I can't say.”

“We got more problems anyways”, Laroche sighed. “The Plague's worst here in Flood Town. People are dying left and right, and we're trying to give them meds against the pain. Problem is, the Swamp Monsters have suddenly popped up and throw everything into disorder.”

Mercer's eyes narrowed. “Since when?”

“Half an hour, maybe a little more.”

“Half an hour- that's the time Bertrand must be here”, MacGrath noticed, which made Laroche gape at him. “Bertrand?! He's here?!”

“Possibly. The swamp beasts are his calling card”, Heller pointed out. “Could be he's put them here to protect himself.”

“Wait, wait”, Dunbar blinked. “Bertrand's the Conduit that makes these things?”

“Das 'is powers?” Nix added. “Das wat 'e killed mah mamma for?!”

“Not only”, MacGrath added. “He could also transform into some kind of super Corrupted. Five stories tall easily. Didn't even flinch when getting a missile to the face.” He grimaced. “He kind of killed a few hundred people in the Old Town”, he admitted. “We didn't even know what was happening until it was too late.” He slumped his shoulders. “And I'm terribly sorry for it.”

Laroche's pulse had jumped up, and he swallowed once to keep himself from lashing out. “And he's here now?”

“He's got to be here somewhere”, Mercer explained. “And those Corrupted...” He thought about it for a moment. “Maybe I can follow their connection to him? They have to originate from somewhere, and it could be possible they still remember where they've been.” He tapped the side of his hip. “It's worth a try.”

“Ya gonna look for dem?” Nix demanded. “A wanna in den. 'E killed mah family, 'es no' gettin' off easy.”

Mercer eyed her briefly. “If you are okay with me getting the larger part of this, you're welcome to join me.” He glanced at Laroche. “Where are they?”

“Uh-” The man was still obviously frazzled.

“Eloquent as ever”, Dana snorted, then turned to her brother. “They're basically _everywhere_ , but probably closing in.”

“Got it”, the Runner tilted his head slightly. “We're going to form perimeters then, spiral outwards from here. That should do the trick.” He turned his focus on his sister. “We'll talk once I get back. Just running here with no clue what was going on...”

She smacked his arm. “You know I can take care of myself. Now go. Turn up the heat on these things.”

Mercer nodded and motioned for Nix to follow him as he leapt off the floor and vanished over the flooded shantytown. The Fire Conduit chuckled once and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

“That's one problem less”, MacGrath pointed out.

“Yeah, I can guess”, the rebel leader muttered. “I've seen him fight. And...eat those things, I guess.” He shook himself, then turned his attention to the Electric Conduit. “I assume you want the Core I have?”

“Yeah”, he held out his hands in a 'gimme' motion, then paused and frowned at the man. “I hope you didn't touch it-”

“Radiation, I know”, Laroche waved him off. “When Agent Ice here told me they were charged, I had my guys only remove it once they had it back in that container the Militia had it in.”

“Strange though”, Kuo added, “That they arrived here _now_. Could this be...because of Bertrand?”

“I mean, he's a Conduit. Possible he gets powers with Cores too”, Dana suggested. 

“ _Heller”_. The Sergeant flinched slightly, then turned away from the conversation. “What?”

“ _These ice guys- they've set fire to the wells._ ”

Heller thought he hadn't understood. “Wells?”

Laroche's head however snapped up at his question, eyes widening. He spun and yelled at his guys, expression turning pale when he confirmed the Runner's intel. “Shit, the wells are burning-”

“I got this”, the Evolved grunted. Just tell me where they are-”

“Are you out of your mind? The only way to snuff the flames would be with the well cap, and that thing weighs like a ton-”

“And?” Heller cracked his knuckles. “I lifted heavier. Now where is the cap, and where are the wells?”

“I know it”, Kuo threw in. “I'll go with you.”

“Good”, Heller turned and rushed off, while the agent flitted after him in the form of icy mist. He found himself amazed by how fast she could move in that shape- easily being able to keep up with him as he dashed along the unstable ground. 

He found the first well easily enough- the massive pillar of smoke and the shine of flames were easy to spot from basically everywhere in Flood Town.

“I got it”, agent Kuo called out, materializing next to a large structure which Heller realized was the well cap. He glanced back at the blazing inferno. Gas and oil on top of the water, he figured, and from the sheer amount of flames spewing from the well, they would be eating up any oxygen very fast. 

“Let's hope the cap closes airtight”, he grumbled, then headed over to pick it up, but paused for a moment. Blacklight didn't like playing with fire, and he wasn't an exception to this rule. “Kuo? Can you try to cool the surrounding air down?”

She made a noise, eyes narrowing. “Reduce the ability of the fire to burn and help you get close enough?”

“Exactly” Heller cracked his knuckles, then seized the cap and easily heaved it off the ground to carry it into the cold field the Ice Conduit created just next to the blaze. He simply dropped the cap onto the well, snuffing the flames instantly. He just had to wait until the oxygen was gone and the fire suffocated, then he would be able to use it for another well.

“Why do you think these men are doing this?” Kuo asked as they waited. “Why are they hurting innocent civilians?”

“No idea”, Heller furrowed his brows. “Maybe...maybe to force them out of Flood Town? You said they were looking for something.”

“But _what_ could be important enough that they do this?”

He huffed out. “No idea. Pretty sure we'll learn of their motive soon enough. At any rate-” He pulled the well cap back off. The fire had extinguished, though agent Kuo still blasted ice down into the well to keep it cool and prevent the gas from re-igniting. “We should finish this. Chances are we'll meet some of these assholes too.”

“I'm not sure whether I am ready to face them”, the woman returned. “Just...” She shook her head. “Militia is one thing, as are the Corrupted. But these men are actually dangerous.”

Heller hefted the well cap into a more comfortable position, patting her shoulder with his free hand. “You can leave any time you need to, you know. I didn't conscript you into a death march.”

“I invited myself”, was her reply as she set her jaw and marched past him. “And that is why I will help you with this. They got _my_ powers, after all.”

She disappeared in another cloud of mist, and Heller just arched an eyebrow, shook his head and hurried after her.

The second well was on the other end of the Flood Town, and they had to cross several blocks of drowned buildings and rickety constructions, while always being hounded by the Vermaak.

And they didn't let up, no matter how fast either of them moved, so when a group of these guys tried to ambush them at the well, Heller snarled and threw the cap at the group of mercenaries. They dodged to the side with simultaneous blasts of ice that completely encased the lid, while the Evolved dove at them with a frustrated growl. Several of the men threw their arms up to fire a powerful jet of ice at him, but Kuo was besides him in that moment, jabbing her palms towards the men and... actually diverting the blow.

Heller hadn't stopped to watch, instead already reached the first men to slam both fists into the ground with enough strength to crater the fragile floor and generate a shockwave that knocked them off balance. As they stumbled back, he charged them like a bull and slammed hard into one guy to send him flying into a wall, collapsing the entire structure in a cloud of dust and rubble.

The other men caught themselves, tried to target the Evolved with their ice, but Kuo appeared between them and shielded him by diverting the mercenary's attack away from her partner again.   
With a low snarl, Heller grabbed two men and just slammed them together  _hard_ . He could hear the crack of bones and felt them go limp in his hold, wondering briefly whether he killed them and realized that he didn't care.

He whirled in place, dispatched of the last guys easily. Didn't even breathe hard. Kuo made a face, but refrained from saying anything as he broke the well cap free of the ice. Both winced however at the ungodly cracking noise the lid made upon being lowered onto the well beneath.

“I'm assuming that maybe it hadn't been such a smart move to expose it to such high temperatures immediately after it'd been frozen”, the Evolved noticed with a grimace.

Kuo hissed under her breath. “Shit, how are we supposed to get the others shut down if the cap breaks?”

“Smother it with something else”, he suggested. “There's enough trash around. Alternatively...” He toed a piece of ice left over from his short and violent tussle. “I would ask you to try and freeze some of the water here so we can drop ice down the well. Should work too.”

The woman's eyes lit up. “That would work”, she agreed, “Though I'm not going to use the water that came here through the flood, but it certainly  _is_ humid enough to generate enough ice.” Probably to avoid polluting the wells, though Heller questioned how clean the water was anyways, considering the whole area was flooded. Not his problem, he decided as he picked the well cap up again and started heading towards the nearest pillar of smoke he could see.

Flood Town seemed to insist on kicking the ground out from under his feet, because the moment he reached the third inferno, a massive wall of ice came out of nowhere and slammed into him with enough force to knock him off balance. He corrected himself within a heart beat, but his attacker already followed up with Groundspikes made of ice, forcing him to dodge to the side to avoid being skewered.

“Flood Town is ours!” One of the Vermaak idiots yelled at him. Heller whirled to face him, eyes narrowing at the sight of the man. He had a normal height, was shaved bald. His eyes were pale blue, his skin gray and his arms and shoulders were armored with slabs of ice. Mist was constantly rising from his body, and his uniform was partly frozen.

When he slammed his ice-encased fists together, frosty shards broke off the shell. Heller snorted and clenched his fists, while Kuo appeared besides him, looking grim.

“I don't like this guy”, she whispered, “He makes my head ache.”

Heller felt inclined to agree. Something was very off with that guy, and that wasn't just the missing human scent. He also didn't hear much in the ways of a pulse, and even at a distance he could feel that this man was way too cold.

The ice man fired a blast of frozen air at them, Heller instantly lunged to the side while Kuo more or less grabbed the fog and simply absorbed into into her own body with a confused expression. Given, those were basically  _her_ powers, so it shouldn't have been so much of a surprise there.

He didn't have that advantage however, and the virus inside of him screamed at him to get out of the cold and stay warm. He ignored it and rushed directly at the guy, rolling to the side in the last moment to avoid another wave of Ice Groundspikes, and tackled into the mercenary's side. The man stumbled back, barely keeping his balance because of the heavy armor, and Heller instantly seized his arm. Twisting and jerking back, he ripped the limb clean off- much to his surprise, because he had only aimed at breaking the shell off- yet the whole arm had come off.  
But there wasn't any blood. Or bones. Or tissues.

Heller easily leapt over a wild swing from the mercenary as he stared at the fractured area- no bones or tissues- only  _ice_ . And that made him think. Mercer had told them about Lesser Conduits. Was this one of them?

It couldn't be. Lesser Conduits were still human, but this guy...

Heller snorted and leapt off the ground, getting back to where he had dropped the well cap, snatching it up again. Then he charged the mercenary, easily flipping out of the way of an ice blast- and slammed the cap down with all his might. If he had done it to a human, they would have splattered. This guy... _shattered_ . 

Shards of ice flew everywhere, digging into the soft ground or bursting to pieces upon making contact with his legs. He waited for a moment for any eventual Terminator-like regeneration scene, but the shards didn't move.

Heller stepped back with an arched eyebrow, then dusted his hands off. “Okay, so the Bad guy is dead.”

Agent Kuo approached the site carefully. “...Usually people shouldn't break apart like china.”

“That's just it”, Heller hoisted the now thoroughly damaged cap off his victim, showing the crushed ice beneath. “But there was nothing human about this guy.” He _used_ to be human, however, he mentally added when he discovered shards looking a lot like muscle tissues. Was this guy ice pretending to be a person?

He noticed the sharp inhale from the Ice Conduit, and winced internally. “That doesn't mean  _you_ aren't human”, he told her with a grimace. “I know you think you lost that right when your powers were activated- but you are perfectly human, even though you got a sub-zero metabolism.” He gestured to the remains. “That guy just now- I didn't get much in the ways of pulse, or even respiration. He was basically your ice powers walking around in a people suit.”

“But”, Kuo's eyes narrowed as she eyed her hands. “That is why he shattered”, she realized. “Human bodies can not withstand a Conduit's power- they get sick when the Beast tries to evolve them. But with mine- while retaining their intelligence, they also turn into literal animated ice.” She turned her attention to him. “Is that why they are looking for something here? Bertrand maybe, to make him fix this, or the Blast Core? One exposure had been enough to turn them into flawed but powerful copies, maybe they are hoping a second exposure would fix them?”

“...Didn't Laroche have a Blast Core?”

“Shit”, the agent whirled around, ice gathering around her wrists. “We have to warn them. You-”

“Will finish this here, then join you too.” He waved her off. “Now go.”

* * *

Alex had only seen such a large amount of Swamp Beasts once before- when they had swarmed him and Heller to prevent them from going after Cole. This time they were even more aggressive. Alex would have bet that this was because Bertrand was running scared- these things didn't have much in the way of a real Hive Mind, but the Corrupted were still the receivers for Bertrand's thoughts.

“Move, ya slowpokes!” Nix complained. Not to him, but to the group of civilians the two of them rescued from the pack of Corrupted. Alex just finished grinding the last into the floor and consume them, then turned to watch the people escape and move to where Laroche was. Nix huffed out. “Ya would tink dey wouldn' stay outside to get eaten.”

Alex snorted. “You would be surprised by how dumb people are.” In Manhattan, they had insisted on living their normal routines, no matter how bad the Infection had gotten.

She glanced at him. “A guess a was always 'opin' for a miracle.”

“If you want one, make one yourself.” Alex flexed his fingers and let his Biomass settle back into its normal appearance. “You still up for demolishing some more of these things?”

“Still up?” Nix cackled. “Baby, a was made for dis!”

Her enthusiasm was contagious, and the Runner felt himself grinning along with her, then just pointed across the derelict buildings towards what had probably been a commercial district before Katrina. “More over there” He eyed her. “Race you?”

Her expression lit up. “Ya no slowpoke, a give ya dat!” Then she was off, vanishing in a puff of ember and smoke. Alex instantly set after her, far less subtle than she could.

He loved it. This was the first time since Manhattan that he could cut loose as he wanted to- the Corrupted were easily identified and assaulted, and the large 'Ravager' tunneler beasts were a lot of fun to track down and kill. He wanted to enjoy it for as long as he could, and he felt Nix did too.

It was rare to have someone he could share his favorite pastime with.

“'ey, slowpoke!” He turned his attention to the Conduit, who stood on a ledge with her arms crossed. “Took ya long enoug. Was de matter?”

“Took it slower”, Alex replied easily. “Thought about a few things.”

She snorted and slapped his shoulder. “Ya tink too much. Live, man!”

“'Live', while we stomp a whole lot of Corrupted?” He grinned. “I think I like your way.” He turned his attention downwards. “What do we have here?”

“Dozens of Swamp Tings”, Nix pointed out. “Wit' dose large tings too. Very angry. And...” She squinted briefly. “Los of people bein' trapped.”

“When will these people ever learn?” Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, so the plan is to kill these things as quickly as possible.”

“Am surprised. Notin' about mah havin' to get dem to safety?”

“I know you don't want to do that and I respect your wishes. Just make sure they don't go too close to the civilians.”

The Conduit beamed widely. “A love dat idea, baby.”

“I knew you would”, he smirked into her direction, then shifted to his Whipfist. “Let's go and take as many of these things down as possible.”

Nix cackled again and dove off the side of the building, followed closely by Alex. She diverted from his course, however, streaking through the air with a wisp of smoke as she assaulted a group of Corrupted that perched on top of one of the buildings around them. Alex hit the ground below and instantly rushed to the front to grab the closest Swamp Monster and consume it, then spun in a half circle to let his Whipfist tear through another group with ease. Their halves hit the floor, moments before small tendrils snaked out between the rubble to grab the remains. Alex didn't stop moving during the entire time, was already catapulting himself high into the air to slam into a Ravager that had mounted another building to assault them from above by spitting acid. There wasn't much left of it once he was through with it, however.

Alex paused for a moment, watching from his vantage point how Nix assaulted a small group of normal Swamp Monsters, using her superior speed and agility to avoid each of their blows and tangle them up in her tar. With a snap of her metal-clad fingers, she set the tar aflame and easily destroyed the creatures with a very short, but very intensive fire.  
She was laughing the entire time.

Alex grinned and kicked off the roof, screwing his body high into the air- before he thrust himself downwards, growing Armor to reduce wind drag and impact into the soft and spongy floor with enough force to utterly crater it, topple a smaller building and kill several dozen Corrupted in one blow.  
Within seconds, he repaired the damage on his own body with the remains of the Swamp Beasts and lunged out of the hole he'd torn and that was already starting to fill up with brackish water. The Ravager that had come closer to investigate jerked back roughly when he collided with it. It was dead when it hit the ground, shorn cleanly in half by his Blade.

Alex was already moving again before his body finished assimilating the fresh Biomass, colliding with another Corrupted and subsequently killing and consuming it too.

He had simply went for far too long without this rush- always moving, killing, feeding. It was like an addiction, one he was sure was gone since Manhattan- but it had always been there. And he couldn't deny just how  _good_ it felt to indulge in it.

Some things were still missing, and Alex was struck with a sudden inspiration. With a manic grin, he altered his course and dashed to where Nix was- she had created another pool of tar below a different group of Corrupted, but paused and turned into his direction when he approached. Her expression was surprised and bewildered, and Alex just grinned at her, shifted to Musclemass and reinforcing his Armor- and slammed his fists into the ground  _hard_ to stagger the Corrupted.  
Splattering the tar at such a high velocity that the dense liquid was torn into billions of fine droplets that floated around him and the Corrupted.

“Nix!”

To give her credit, the Conduit didn't ask, just generated another spark- and Alex's sight was drowned out in brilliant white as the mist cloud exploded far more violently than the tar in itself had done before. It would burn the Corrupted to crisp and probably cost him a good amount of his Biomass, despite the Armor- but it was fucking worth it.

It made him feel truly alive, so he couldn't really stop himself from outright laughing at it- the glorious feeling of fire, of destruction, of  _death_ \- he loved every second of it.  
Nix's cackle drew his attention once he could hear and see again, and the Conduit was leaning against a wall, grinning widely at him. “Ya real crazy, ya know?”

“I haven't been sane for a very long time now”, Alex replied easily, removing his Armor in the process to take in the surrounding. Not a single Swamp Beast remained alive and the civilians had apparently escaped while they've been busy with the Corrupted.

“Is good”, Nix agreed. “We need some crazy.” She looked around once. “Any more of dem around?”

“Not as far I can tell”, Alex pointed out. “Certainly didn't find what I was looking for. No idea where they came from.”

The Conduit eyed him for a moment. “Ya said sometin' of de sorts. Ya said ya could know wat dey knew.” She cocked her head. “An' ya been dat Militia guy, 'for dat anoter one.”

Alex arched one eyebrow. “You've seen that?”

She shrugged. “By chance. Looked for some crackers to break an' den one of dem sneak up on de oter one an' dey become one. Den I learn dat guy was ya.” She eyed him. “Cole eats ligtnin' an' shoots ligtnin'. Ya eat people, an...”

“I modify my body into whatever form I desire.”

“But ya ain' no Conduit, no?”

He arched one eyebrow at her. “No. Not really. If anybody asks, that's what I am, but I really am not.”

“Den wat?”

He furrowed his brows. “I'm from a similar program. You see, DARPA wanted to use Conduits as weapons. I am from an older research, where they tried sticking superpowers to normal humans.” He snorted. “Didn't work the way they wanted. On both accounts.”

“No?” She inclined her head. “Ya pretty strong.”

“Yeah, but I don't have a kill switch. I can't be stopped- or only with enormous amounts of resources.”

“Wat ya doin' wit' de swamp tings den? A seen ya root in de ground eva time ya eat dem.”

Alex shrugged, half surprised she had noticed that. “I am preparing myself. Like you said, Cole absorbs lightning, I absorb living beings, and mass means health in my case. I can also store pieces of what I ate away from me. As a sort of fail-safe. To avoid death if possible. But...” He exhaled once. “Not sure whether it will be enough. Not with the Beast coming”

She just eyed him. “Ya tink it will come 'ere?”

“It will. It's not finished with us. Cole needs those Blast Cores to be ready to face it. I need more mass to last through facing it. You-” He pointed at her, “You and Kuo, you need to be ready. Run or fight, I don't care.”

She scoffed and bared her white teeth. “A don' know about  _Reine de Glace_ , but if ya an' Cole stay to face it, a stay too. Dis city is mah 'ome. Was mah mamma's 'ome.” She slapped his shoulder hard. “Now stop mopin'. Dere are still more swamp tings to kill 'for de day is done.”

Alex just cocked his head. “I'm not moping.”

She grinned again. “Sure ya was. No come, we gotta be ready to kick Bertrand and de Beast. Los left to be done.”

“You know, most people would scream and run away when they learn what you did. You don't.”

Her grin became wider. “Mah mamma always said to never judge by cover. Ya scary, but ya is also a good person. Ya try to do de rigt ting. Ah can respect dat. An' ya is mah frend too.” She winked before she vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Alex snorted amused as he moved after her. Friend? Yeah, he could work with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You read it here first: Cross can read minds, Heller is dad, and Alex got a BFF.
> 
> Piece of advice: Always remember- gas and oil torn into small droplets burn a lot hotter than if they are a pool on the floor. The reason is a larger surface area- that is also the reason why you shouldn't pour water on burning fat or why a flour mill could spontaneously explode (I'm not shitting you). 
> 
> Also, I re-discovered the 1999 game 'Alien Nations', and let's just say it is a fun little game with distractingly cute Amazons and bug people.


	20. Peeling back the curtain

Waking came slowly, and somehow Cole felt wrong the entire time. It wasn't a real headache, or nausea, but he felt woozy and like he was in the completely wrong body. He wasn't, he checked, and then paused when realizing that this was a completely valid thing to wonder about in his life.

Then he wondered just  _when_ thoughts like that became valid to even think about.

The freight car they had created their new hideout in was completely dark asides from a low light burning on the barrel in the middle of the room, so Cole wondered briefly what time it was. Then he heard a snort, followed by a snore, and craned his neck to the side to find Zeke sitting on a chair, with his arms crossed and his chin against his chest. He was asleep, and snored while doing so. Cole reached over to slap his knee, but Zeke only jerked once with another snort, and slept on. 

He shoved at his knee again, harder this time, and his friend finally spluttered awake. “Wha--huh?” He blinked at the Conduit for a moment. “Mornin' Cole. How are you feeling, brother?”

Cole grimaced, rubbing his stomach to try and ease the tension he felt. “Not good”, he admitted. “Like...like I'm fake money. Like I'm upside-down and inside-out.”

Zeke hissed through his teeth. “Doesn't sound good. You need a moment?”

He shook his head. “No time. Last time I felt that way, the Beast took us by surprise-” He blinked at the expression on Zeke's face. Then his brows came down. “How far away is it?”

The other rubbed the back of his neck, audibly inhaling air through clenched teeth. “Colonel Blackwatch poked in an hour or so ago, whisked Dana and Super Spy away. He also mentioned that the cloud of Ray Field Radiation is already close-by, as is the Beast-”

Cole felt icy dread run down his back. “How far?”

Zeke grimaced again. “He said a little over a hundred miles. It's probably going to arrive by dusk tonight.”

“Shit”, Cole forced himself to his feet and pulled the RFI from his bag. “Let's hope I have enough juice for this thing.” He grabbed the handles on its sides and grit his teeth, sending sparks through it like he did with the Blast Cores- but nothing happened. He paused, and tried again, but the RFI sat like a paper weight in his hands. “Shit” He shoved it back. “A couple of more Blast Cores, and it should be ready to go.”

“Are you sure you want to?” Zeke questioned. “I mean, you're lookin' pretty bad right now.”

“Don't have much of a choice, have I?” Cole sighed and shuffled his feet. Zeke noticed it, and slumped his shoulders. “Go on out then. Check what kind of stuff you've gotten and get your system up and runnin' again.”

Moving- yeah, moving sounded good right now. Cole nodded and pulled the doors open to jump out of the train, stretching first, then heading along the rails at a slow pace first. The fresh air helped, and after a few moments, the spongy feeling faded from his system.

Cole did a few laps around the closest block, climbed over the roofs and hurled himself across the flooded areas until he felt like himself again. Time to figure out what he gotten this time.

Nothing new, he noticed, but his Megawatt Hammers have come back to him- and they were both larger and faster than they've been before, though he couldn't exactly steer them anymore. They still punched through thin non-conductive walls with ease, and knocked bad guys clean off their feet.  
His phone rang and he answered it.  “Yeah?”

“ _I already heard the thunder claps all over the city, uhm, you okay, Cole?”_

He blinked. Kuo? “Yeah, I'm fine now. Felt a bit weird before, but that's gone now.”

“ _Good. That's good to hear. Anyways, could you come back to the train? We got news.”_

“On the way.” He clicked the phone off and instantly started jogging back to the freight car. It proved to be harder than he thought- he simply couldn't remember the way. Certainly not from the other side of Flood Town where he was currently, and certainly not after all that punishment he had accumulated throughout the day before. He suspected that there had been some cranial damage on that list too, that was probably why he couldn't remember.

He did manage to reach the freight cart within a reasonable amount of time though, and slid the door open to take in the crowd present. Everybody was there, crowded into the suddenly much too small car. Their conversation was cut off the moment he arrived, and he noticed varying degrees of hostility towards the newcomer, hostility that quickly cleared the moment they recognized him.

He didn't blame them, Flood Town wasn't exactly safe. Last night, just as the heavy hitters had left, a pair of ice freaks assaulted him at Laroche's place, demanding them to hand over the Blast Core Laroche was about to give to Cole. Of course, he couldn't allow that and quickly proceeded with challenging the two ice guys. He had to admit, that they did have impressive powers, and especially the story-tall ice platforms they created as vantage point took him by surprise- but the surprise had only been a short moment and he managed to stomp both into the ground even before Kuo returned.

She had seemed impressed by his capabilities, and after a short time of dancing around the subject told them of what she and Heller encountered. Plus, apparently, she could control the ice freak's powers as well- the same powers that obviously turned these men into sentient ice which was why they were tearing Flood Town apart to get Blast Cores in order to fix themselves.

Cole cleared his throat as he pulled himself into the car, eying the map they had put up on a wall. “So, what do we have?”

“Dana discovered that Bertrand is heading into the train yard at least once per week, though without a fixed schedule”, Colonel Blackwatch pointed out without much ado. “We just confirmed his current presence there, no matter the circumstances.”

Zeke cocked his head. “The Flood Town's full of those ice freaks that want to tear Bertrand limb from limb, and the train yard ain't exactly where people like Bertrand tend to be, so what's so important about-”

“It's where the Swamp Beasts come from”, Alex cut in, then added “I managed to get enough memories to piece their point of origin together.”

“Exactly”, Dana nodded. “We think this is where he turns the 'deviants' into the Corrupted, then has them conditioned there so they won't attack his guys.”

Cole blinked. “And...why are you still here?” He glanced at Colonel Blackwatch, who just crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Pretty sure at least a few of you would have charged in and burnt everything to the ground the moment you learnt of it.”

“A tol' dem de same!” Nix threw in.

“Because”, Kuo sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, “Bertrand still has support from the Government of Louisiana. Probably got an ear of the President too. We attack him, and all of us end up on Interpol's Most Wanted.”

“So?” Cole cocked his head. “Alex is already there, and I doubt neither Blackwatch nor Nix give a shit.”

“We don't”, the Colonel agreed. “Our job is to root out the problem, not play nice. However”, he nodded back to Kuo and Dana. “These two came up with an additional idea.”

“First we sneak in, get evidence”, Kuo pointed out. “We make a live stream, get everything out to all available media. I was told it would be possible.”

“Once it is out there, Bertrand will lose all backing. Hurt him where it hurts most- especially considering he's been lying to most of the Militia”, Dana added. “Then you can start the scorched earth protocol.”

Cole blinked. “That's...very considerate of you.”

“Believe me, it physically hurts”, Alex grumbled with an added “Same” from Nix. 

Colonel Blackwatch exhaled very slowly in a way that told Cole he had the same conversation already. “I agreed to one hour”, he explained. “Either you find evidence within that time, or we will take out the trash either way. If we do, we won't be very considerate about collateral damage.” Translation: They were going to shoot anything that moved. Cole didn't see much of a problem on that front, seeing as most of those guys were Militia that were close-by when Bertrand did his thing with the people he turned into Swamp Beasts, and as such  _knew_ about this. More even, they were perfectly okay with their boss being a lying asshole, so why should he care for them?  
Blackwatch could do whatever they wanted with them- but he was worried for the captured people that were also present. If Blackwatch scorched the earth, then there would be casualties.  _Innocent_ casualties.

“One hour”, he growled. “I get the evidence, then free the prisoners. Got it?”

“What if you are noticed?”

“Then the civilians will be my first priority”, he waved his hand. “But at that moment, I will also know where they are, so you will too. In case everything goes to shit, I want all of you to get them out as fast as possible, while Blackwatch gets to shoot at everything that moves on the opposite side of the train yard. Deal?”

“Restricted weaponry then, no carpet bombing”, Colonel Blackwatch agreed. “Since the infection happens fast and apparently only in contact with Bertrand, we will know which things to shoot and which not, so those are acceptable terms.” He jabbed his thumb at Alex. “Take this one with you too. You can gather the evidence needed to bury Bertrand, but he can supply us with _information_.”

“Yeah, good point.” Those hicks had been around longest. And likely knew most of what Bertrand knew. Blast Cores, the technology Wolfe had made for him-  
And The Beast was coming.

“One hour, you said?”

“Unless you get detected”, Colonel Blackwatch reminded him. “I got my team on stand-by. One hour from now, and we will burn the hive. You trigger detection, you got ten minutes max to get the civilians out or give us a target.”

Cole swallowed once and furrowed his brows. “Then I won't waste any more time.”

“One moment”, Kuo handed him a camera. “Dana already hooked it up to her laptop. You take pictures or movies, and we will see and record them in real time.”

He took it. “Okay, we're off. You guys get yourselves ready- when they figure out we're there, they will raise all kinds of Hell. And I expect you to raise some right back.”

Nix's expression was an unhinged grin. “Ya get it, Demon. Don' let us wait too long.”

“Wouldn't dream of it”, he jumped out of the train car, and rushed along the ground for a bit before he catapulted himself straight upwards with a pillar of ice, then hovered through the air to reach a roof several yards away. He hit the building in a roll to avoid losing momentum, and immediately kicked off again, heading for the massive train yard to the north of the Flood Town. Before Katrina, this had been the busiest part of the city, now it was abandoned. Perfect for all kind of vermin to move in. 

Cole stopped briefly, watching the area. He could see fresh damage wrought by the ice freaks, but the Militia idiots barely seemed to be any more attentive than they should be, despite obviously having faced down the Vermaak the night before. Even the guard towers didn't look particularly manned or ready.

“Idiots”, Alex's voice rumbled besides him, and Cole swore a little under his breath.

“A little more warning maybe?”

The Runner snorted amused. “Not my fault you're not paying attention.”

Cole grunted and turned his attention back to the yard. “You seeing any way to go in?” The hicks not being attentive didn't mean he could just fly in, or walk past them. He would need to sneak in to avoid alerting them. Plus, the main energy was off in the train yard, with only a few generators turning up on his internal radar.

“Not yet. But I can find out.” Alex cocked his head. “Just give me a moment. Once the coast's clear, I'll give you a signal.”

“Try to be quick about it.”

Alex grinned and just...fell apart. Like the cohesion holding his form together simply failed, because he was gone from one moment to the other. Cole could see a few black tendrils worming down the side of the building he was on, and mere moments later he noticed one of the men down there freeze for several seconds while his electrical system was torn apart and hollowed out, turning into a formless shape of electrical currents all firing at random.

Outwardly, he didn't seem any different, and he started moving again as soon the takeover was complete. He did pause, however, to look into his direction and flash him a smug smirk.

_Son of a..._

Cole snorted and ducked a bit lower, watching his friend in his new form slowly moving out of sight. And then, out of the blue, he felt something echo softly at the back of his head. Like a soft hum, one that generally promised juice.

It hadn't been there before, and it was flashing strangely inside his skull. Normally, sources of energy were a steady flow, like a river. This was like waves washing on a beach, growing and waning. It spoke to him, in a way.  _No danger_ .

He carefully made his way to where he was sensing it, finding himself at the north end of the train yard, where a hole in the chain link fence between the store houses allowed him to get into the area without having to climb. Alex was nowhere to be seen, but he could sense the small source of electricity that had lured him near. Right now, right here in that juice-less area, it felt like a warm beacon in the darkness, and Cole took a few moments to look around, eventually kneeling down to peer beneath a train car. He blinked at the sight of several chitinous spikes poking out of the ground and sparking slightly- though they receded the moment he realized just  _what_ they were.

He shivered briefly when the only source of energy vanished, and tapped his radio. “You ready on your end?”

“ _Yeah. I got the TV antenna here rigged”_ , Kuo confirmed.

“ _And I have the stream up and running. Go for it”_ , Dana added.

“On it” He sent out a short radar burst, ignoring the luring call of the generator in favor for steering around the group of men nearby. Without juice, he wasn't sure whether he would be able to take them down without the others noticing, so leaving them alone was the better option for now. Also, it would be a lot funnier to have them realize that he learnt of all their dirty secrets while they were directly next to him.

Cole snickered and continued moving, carefully heading around a corner the moment he felt one guy with too much metal on him vanish in the distance. Literally  _vanish_ , and getting replaced for something with way less order. He shivered again and turned around the corner, then quickly sped across a large gap to climb through between a pair of cars.   
Then he stopped, eyes narrowing on the boxcar full of people.

“Ah, shit”, he brought the camcorder up, took a picture. 

“ _Bunch of assholes”,_ he heard Dana growl.

“Yeah, was thinking the same. Hold on, I'll try something.” He checked the area and snuck closer, finger in front of his face to shush the civilians once they noticed him. Luckily, they were smart enough to recognize the gesture, but came as close as possible to the bars keeping them caged in.

“Hey, you the Demon?” One whispered once he got close up.

“That's what I'm being called.”

“You here to get us out?”

“I am”, Cole lifted the camcorder, set it to record. “However, right now it would be safer for you here.”

“Here?!” One hissed, but was quickly shushed by the others. “You have no idea-”

“I don't”, Cole cut him off. “But I know that, right now, you would only alert the guards to my position. But I have friends out there, and as soon I have everything I need, I will make sure you get out, okay?” He reached out, grabbing the closest wrist he could to squeeze in a reassuring manner. “I don't have much time either. Tell me, who put you here?”

“The fucking Militia, man!”

“And Bertrand?”

“Bastard comes by from time to time, and then people in the other cars are taken.”

Cole furrowed his brows. “You know where to?”

“No idea, but they sure as Hell aren't set free.”

He felt someone approach, and grimaced. “Listen, guards are coming. Can you stay put? Only an hour, not more. You'll be free soon.”

“One hour”, one of the prisoners breathed. “Please hurry up.”

“You got it”, Cole clicked the camera off and hopped to the top of the car to get out of sight as the guard came around. He held his breath, but the prisoners didn't say a word. He quickly hurried past the man and deeper into the complex.

“ _This is bad already, but you'll need more if you want to discredit Bertrand”_ , Kuo reminded him.

“Yeah, I figured as much.” Cole cut himself off as he noticed another guard walk past one of his buddies- only to spin on his heel, grab the other guy and crush his throat to take his place and shape in a flurry of tentacles and a small spray of blood. Alex threw him a glance and flicked one finger to the west, before resuming his victim's patrol. Cole instantly headed into the direction he was shown, crossing several tracks of rail and ducking behind one pillar of the loading crane to wait for another patrol to pass. His heart made a leap when he realized that there were trains with prisoners all over the place. He took pictures whenever possible.

“ _Fuck. When Cross goes in, we'll have problems separating the captives from the hicks”_ , Dana hissed. _“I'll let him know.”_

“Do that”, Cole exhaled. “Shit, if it comes to blow, we need to secure these people first.”

“ _Won't be a problem. Once this blows, Bertrand won't be able to hide anywhere anymore.”_

Then he heard and felt it- the soft clicking growl of Corrupted. Intrigued, he drew closer, noticing another box car that had moveable metal shields to close the bars off completely. Likely from the sun, because there was a bunch of Swamp Monsters inside the car. The head-exploding variant, though they seemed to be rather docile as they lumbered along in their cage.

Cole snapped a few pictures of them and zoomed closer to the wrist of one, where a bracelet was. Dana hissed into his ear.  _“Fuck this. These things are usually worn by teenage girls. How young are those 'Deviants'?”_

The Conduit swallowed. “No idea, but I don't like it.” He grimaced briefly when he felt another tug at the edge of his mind. Felt like more Swamp Beasts, so he carefully made his way into that direction. Alex was moving past him in another shape, guiding him to where the least guys were, so he could check out another cage without being seen.

This one contained the normal Swamp Monsters he'd first encountered at the public assembly. He took more pictures, then quickly dove out of sight when another guard came around. Guy hadn't noticed him, neither did the Corrupted. Cole figured that was because they were already conditioned to not hiss at the guys wearing the ridiculous orange outfits. He found Alex standing near another cage containing one of those tunneler beasts. The Runner was watching it with an expression that normally meant food, prompting Cole to clear his throat. “You know, if you eat them now these guys will notice.”

The stolen face just arched one eyebrow at his direction. “I am aware”, he said. “But I can still take a look at the menu. For later” He added after a second's thoughts. Cole grimaced and took another picture.

“ _Damn, if they weren't so ugly and made of people, this could be a Zoo”,_ Dana commented. _“Cole, get those pictures done so we can get the civilians out of there.”_

“And beat up as many idiots as possible”, he added.

Alex made a noise that seemed suspiciously thoughtful. “You know, some of the men are thinking of quitting.”

Cole blinked from the sudden change of topic. “Really?”

“Apparently, they aren't as stupid as we think they are, and some are having second thoughts.”

Cole furrowed his brows. “Is that regret I hear?”

Alex scoffed. “Fuck no. The guys I've consumed, they've been with Bertrand from the beginning, have been there when he made the first Corrupted.”

“And now they're having second thoughts?” Cole was pretty sure his jaw had dropped open. 

Alex shrugged. “They are cowards. The entire time before they didn't hear their own consciousness, but now- with Laroche making noise and us chasing them down and the Vermaak crawling up their asses-  _now_ they are starting to realize that they are on the bottom of the food chain. And they want out.” 

He cut himself off, eyes narrowing on a building at the center of the place. “Bertrand is in that warehouse”, he growled. “You get to the roof. I get in from the ground level. You either chase him off, or you force him to transform, then I'll take him down once he's in his monster form.”

_Hurry_ , he meant to say, but didn't. Cole heard it all the same and quickly ran off after making sure the coast was clear. If he could get a picture, or better- catch Bertrand in the act- then that would be the final nail to that guy's coffin. Oh, he was going to fucking  _bury_ that asshole- everything else was only second priority, including taking him down once and for all.

He paused for a moment to let a guard pass by, then hopped to the top of a shipping container and from there pulled himself up on the roof. He was lucky- there were large skylights in the ceiling, and one of the radar pulses he sent out came back with a distinct echo that was not human- though it was not Alex, who was slowly approaching as well. He couldn't tell  _what_ was different, but he also knew that this was another Conduit. Bertrand. He snuck closer and quickly discovered an open window- he climbed through while avoiding to make any noise, though asides from the layout, he couldn't see much of anything.

It was...like any other warehouse, with the office room being cut off from the main room by walls and a large window- Cole inhaled sharply. He could see Bertrand inside the room, with a man sitting on a chair in front of him. The Conduit snapped a picture, then scrambled back out through the window to get to the other side. He found another skylight, which opened directly to the office room. He was in time to see Bertrand circle the man on the chair much like a predator would. Much like  _Alex_ would, and Cole instantly lifted the camcorder to record the entire confrontation, feeling his blood go to ice. He needed to remind himself to not go down there, to not confront Bertrand- they  _needed_ this evidence, even if it meant knowingly killing another person.

It still felt like he was dying inside, even when for the most parts, Bertrand didn't even seem to be aggressive. He was just reassuring the man that everything was alright, that he wouldn't need to be scared and that he would cleanse the devil out of him- then his hands started glowing and emitting what looked like gas. The man started choking and within seconds began to mutate and transform. It was exactly what had happened to the Militia guys when they fought the Behemoth form of their leader- just as fast and just as traumatizing, if a lot more controlled because Bertrand had his full attention on it.

“ _Fuck”_ , Dana hissed. Cole could hear Kuo's pitched breathing in the background, but her voice was frigid and steady when she spoke. _“I'm broadcasting it now”_ , she growled, _“Let the people see what their leader really is.”_

Cole clenched his fist, teeth grit- and then Bertrand turned and froze when their eyes locked. The Electric Conduit grimaced and slowly waved his camcorder into his direction. “Uh...call Colonel Blackwatch. Guess we have to move the schedule up.”

* * *

Cross was swearing under his breath as he dashed out of the train car, ordering Santos to get the team ready like five minutes ago. Heller grunted as he hit the ground outside not even a second later, with Agent Kuo and Nix hot on his heels. They had to move fast to keep the Militia off balance and prevent Bertrand from escaping. And despite them only needing about two minutes at most, when they arrived at the rail yard the whole area was thrown into chaos. Heller could see MacGrath racing across the roofs of the trains towards the closest boxcar containing captives- and instantly made a bee-line for him.

“MacGrath! Down!” The Conduit didn't question, just flopped against the roof while Heller slammed his shoulder into the loading crane nearby, shaking the whole construction and throwing the guy with the missile launcher up there off it. MacGrath swore under his breath and was about to climb to his feet when Heller already latched onto the metal bars and tore them right out of the car. Kuo materialized out of nowhere nearby, summoning a veritable wall off ice to shield the prisoners as they fled.

Heller growled. “Nix! Get those assholes off our backs! Kuo! Get the prisoners secure until Laroche arrives!” He bared his teeth. “MacGrath- electrical generators at five 'o clock. Get whatever you need, I got your back!”

“On it”, the Conduit threw himself off the train, jerking his hand out to generate an electrical shield that caught several bullets meant for him. Heller yanked a barrel off the ground to throw it at the idiots that tried to shoot them, hitting and downing the entire group while MacGrath reached the generator to fuel himself.

Then he spun and fired off an ash tornado, ripping several men off their feet and making the train cars shudder. Heller was moving already, lunging at one Tunneler Beast that smashed its way out of its cage and was now charging at them itself.  
He met it in the middle, the impact strong enough to rattle his bones and shove the creature several steps backwards before it caught itself with a screech. It swung its massive arm at him, he ducked under it and slammed his shoulder into its lower stomach to throw it off balance and send it sprawling against the ground. The Corrupted hissed and thrashed, and Heller casually stomped down on its throat to crush its trachea and break its spine, killing it instantly.

Icy mist enveloped him, hardening into thick sheets of ice to swallow a few high-speed bullets. Heller wrenched his head around, nodding briefly at Agent Kuo- then he lunged across the protective wall to dive directly at the Militia idiots while they were still reeling.

MacGrath was gone already, heading to the closest box car that contained some more prisoners to set them free- giant Groundspikes of ice that erupted from the ground marked his position, as did the lightning bolts that occasionally overshot their targets and dissipated in the thick clouds overhead.

The Hive Mind was hissing inside his head, and Heller simply stretched one arm to the side. Mercer hit his shoulder in a crouch with enough force that would have pulverized anybody else, while Heller just grunted at the feeling of the Runner's legs tense, and whirled on his heel to just  _throw_ him upwards in the same moment he jumped off himself. Heller instantly turned tail and dashed into the opposite direction, seconds before Mercer came back down like a warhead, burrowing into the ground and turning several dozen square feet into rubble and twisted wreckage, completely eradicating a pack of Corrupted at the same time.

Heller groaned. “Was that really necessary?”

“ _Yes. Scare them out of their wits. Makes them make mistakes.”_ The Sergeant grumbled under his breath at the voice inside his head. His eyes slipped into infected vision unbid, and he could only stare at the soft glow hidden in the ground.

_Everywhere_ he looked. Just like Manhattan.

He exhaled sharply. “Holy shit”

Somewhere, a bunch of Corrupted screeched in agony as spears ripped from the soil to impale them, infect them and drag them down as they consumed them. Heller fought back the shiver down his spine as more voices joined the Hive.

And then Mercer just emerged from the ground like a fucking Nightmare flower, clad in Armor, and Claws glinting in the low light. He threw his head back with a snort, then charged into a group of hicks to send them scattering- he didn't kill any of them, but his presence was enough to get them panicking.

Nix's cackle echoed across the entire rail yard, nearly drowning out the roar of the Blackhawk helicopter that peeled out of the slowly approaching dawn. Cross and his team dropped down from the chopper to form perimeters and shoot the Corrupted, while the pilot turned away to head to the south of the yard.

At the same time, Laroche's men came in from the north end. The captives would be in good hands, Heller knew, so he headed over to where he could hear the sound of train cars being torn apart- and more, they weren't torn apart by people on his side.

The situation was obvious: MacGrath was currently in the process of trying to take down one of those large Devourer things. Heller figured he was proceeding very smoothly, but objects light enough to throw while heavy enough to cause damage were notably lacking, and the lightning in itself couldn't get through the thing's shell.

Good, he was starting to get bored with the small fries anyway. Heller snorted and just kicked off the ground to throw his body across the rails and right into the line of sight of the massive Corrupted. It snarled and tried to snap at him, but he easily dodged to the side, then braced himself and threw a violent uppercut into its lower jaw with enough force to make it stumble back, then leapt out of the way.

MacGrath blinked at his sudden arrival. Heller grinned at him. “Figured you'd need some help.”

The younger huffed out, but it sounded relieved. “Yeah, you got that right. My powers only work when I nail them in the mouth. Your powers work when you nail them, period.”

He cracked his knuckles. “Got that right, kid.”

“Go for it, I'll slow it down”, the Conduit replied, then whirled in place and slammed his weapon flat against the ground to create another wave of Ice Groundspikes that stopped the Devourer for a moment in its tracks. Heller charged in and slammed his shoulder into its front leg with enough force to snap its tree-trunk like limb, then he leapt upwards as it toppled to crash both heels deep into its face armor to crack the shell. The Corrupted snarled and shook itself, and the Evolved briefly leapt off it to allow MacGrath to feed it some more lightning.

It reeled, choking, and Heller used that moment to transform his arm into his Blade, then slammed it down with enough force to drive the edge deep into the thing's brain pan and kill it. The giant monster shivered, then collapsed like in slow motion, whirling dust up as it met the ground.

And the Hive hidden beneath reacted. Heller inhaled sharply when he felt the virus surge out to grab and consume the fresh carcass within seconds. Entirely too fast for the dust to settle first. Once it finally did, the Devourer was gone completely, leaving him standing there with his Blade dug into the ground. He stepped back and pulled it free, rolling his shoulder.  
MacGrath whistled as he approached. “That's one way to deal with the cadaver”, he pointed out with a tone of amazement. “Better than having a bunch of guys work it with a chainsaw I think.”

“Yeah”, Heller scoffed. “And it's also a wonderful way for Mercer to subtly tell us just how outclassed we are right now. I mean he _could_ have ended all of this here with just a snack, but he lets us tidy up because he's oh-so- _generous_.”

“ _It is more complicated than that”_ , the Runner threw in from the inside of his own head. Heller grumbled under his breath, but didn't interrupt. _“I have to focus to avoid accidentally causing Outbreak number three. And this time it would really be me, and not someone using my name instead.”_

“Yeah, but that wouldn't have been a thing if you hadn't started making a fucking Hive in the first place!”

The reply was sharp like a knife.  _“It's not a Hive-”_

Heller snorted and cut him off. “It  _is_ . I don't know what kind of delusion you're telling yourself, but that's what it looks like.” The other end was deadly silent, but he knew exactly he was still listening. “I also know that you're fucking scared of the Beast, enough so you are knowingly risking another Outbreak just so you get a chance at survival. I understand.”

“ _I'm not scared-”_ , he cut himself off when Heller put his entire focus into his _Are you fucking kidding_ me?-thought. _“Okay, I am scared. So sue me.”_

“I'm not going to do that. I _know_ what it is to be scared. Believe it or not, I rather not face this thing. Pretty sure Dana and MacGrath think so too, and even Cross is quaking in his boots at the idea. We all know what it can do, so I won't tell you to get your shit together, because it's something I can't do myself.” He cocked his head, staring at the ground where the Devourer had died. “You did what you thought was the right way. I'm not blaming you for it. What I do blame you for is that as soon you got your problem fixed, you went the whole twenty yards and just went full Runner.” He grunted once. “Once we have beaten the Beast, you _have_ to destroy those Hives to prevent Manhattan from ever happening again.”

“ _...I am aware. It's just...”_

“Pretty hard to let go of that amount of power”, He snorted. “I get it.”

MacGrath cleared his throat loudly. “I am just getting one half of this conversation, and frankly, you're looking like a lunatic if I wouldn't know it better.” He crossed his arms. “Also, where's Bertrand?”

...Right. The guy they came here to take captive. The Runner that created the Corrupted.  _“He got away”_ , Mercer supplied simply. Heller choked. “What?! And you let him get away?!”

“ _Thought it would be a worse thing for him. Right now, his World is coming crashing down all around him. His lies are exposed. He has to suffer before he dies.”_

“Do you know where he went to, at least?”

“ _Gas Works. Place is overrun by the Vermaak though.”_

“Gas Works?” Heller inclined his head. “Think I know where to go to next.”

MacGrath blinked. “How the Hell did that asshole get to Gas Works? We had the entire area here under control!”

“ _Escape Tunnels”_ , Mercer commented. Heller groaned. “Escape tunnels.”

MacGrath groaned too, dragging his palm down his face. “Great. Just great.”

“ _I'll tell Cross. Pretty sure Blackwatch will be able to do something.”_

Heller nodded, knowing he couldn't see, then looked around. The Wisemen were just shooting the last of the Corrupted, the rebels were currently detaining the few remaining conscious hicks, and Kuo was clearly visible flitting about and likely released the last captives.

MacGrath watched what was going on with a frown, but startled somewhat when Heller's heavy hand clapped his shoulder. “Stop moping about Bertrand”, he told him sternly. “He won't get away now. You showed New Marais what kind of lying asshole their so-called 'Savior' is, and you should be proud of that one.”

The kid's lips twitched into a smile. “Yeah. After today, I bet we won't be seeing any hicks running around in their uniforms anymore.”

“Yup, you just gave the people back a massive amount of freedom. _And_ you protected them from becoming Swamp Beasts. Now we just need to smoke out the last ones, and all problems that are left will be those ice freaks.”

“And the Beast”, the Conduit grunted darkly.

Heller scoffed. “It almost doesn't seem to be real, you know? Everybody else here I can beat by just hitting them hard enough. The Beast, not so much. It's like a natural disaster. That it why as a threat, it is too overpowered for me to even consider it as a foe. The only chance we have is the RFI, and if that doesn't work- well, then we'll be all dead anyways. So why worry about this at all?”

MacGrath cocked his head. “Nice prospect there.”

“I know. Shit's fucked up. But if you worry about them, you will just distract yourself. Focus on what is important right now. And, right now”, he grabbed his shoulders and bodily turned him around to let him see the rebels and captives celebrating together. “Right now you are a goddamn Hero to these people. Enjoy it for a little while, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always remember, being a Hero is not just running around and beating up bad guys. It's also having a party with the guys you saved. Makes you look a lot more human than, say, broody-style vigilantes like Batman.


	21. The Beast draws near

New Marais was too loud. He hadn't noticed it before, but it was too loud. Too many voices, too many people.   
It hadn't been that bad before, he realized, because before he would only know what was directly around him- but now he knew  _everything_ . He knew perfectly well who was where, knew age, gender and constitution of whoever was walking through the city. The only blind spot he had were the Gas Works- but even then what he could already see was entirely too much for him to comprehend. 

At first he thought he would be able to ignore it, but the truth was- he couldn't. Not when every breathe, every heartbeat tugged at the primal part of his and told him to consume, to make it his. And, to make matters worse, the more of himself he spread across the city, the more he became aware of potential hosts- and the hunger was gnawing relentlessly at the back of his head even though he had enough Biomass to spare.

Heller had been right when he told him that this wasn't something to pursue. Alex understood it now, and wondered whether it was the virus that drove Greene mad, or whether it was this kind of omniscience that came with the infection.

He figured he had it easier however- the Infection, the Hives as Heller called it, they were all  _him_ . Parts of him he had hidden in order to have a storage to work with, not infected entities like Greene or the Supreme Hunter had. This Blacklight Mass didn't have an own mind, like them, but it was still an extension of his consciousness, and as such, he was aware of everything near it.

Which made focusing incredibly hard, and Alex had to admit that he couldn't pay attention to what was going on directly in front of him. He had tried to, but as the day continued and more people woke up to learn of what they had done to Bertrand and his Militia in that rail yard, he found it increasingly hard to keep his attention from slipping.

“...got to call it in and- are you even listening?” Point in case. Alex blinked and forced his focus at the Blackwatch Colonel, who stood in front of him with his hands on hips. He remembered having stuck around, mostly to keep an eye on the Militia idiots Laroche's men had taken captive, and to consume whatever was left of the Corrupted. He remembered having briefly talked to Cole, but he hadn't paid attention as to what had been said- too many people had wanted to congratulate him that it felt like repeated jabs through his brain each time he forced back the desire to consume. So he had taken to sticking around the Wisemen, probably hoping that his natural dislike for Blackwatch would help in keeping his attention- but obviously his mind still kept slipping.

Cross arched one eyebrow, and Alex grimaced briefly. “No?”

The man cocked his head. “The fuck's wrong with you?”

Alex bared his teeth at him. “The city is too loud”, he bit out eventually and in a tone that sounded even to his ears like it was making an effort to beat him into the ground.

Cross only furrowed his brows. “Loud?” He glanced around, then paused. “It's this Hive Bullshit you've got going on, isn't it?”

He didn't bother answering, his attention settling to were he clearly heard some Militia idiots talking to each other- somewhere in the South, near the clock tower. Across the city.

The Specialist snorted and snapped his fingers, drawing his focus back to himself. “Don't you fucking space out. We still got Bertrand on the loose and the Beast will be here by dusk.”

“Bertrand is in Gas Works”, Alex replied distracted, trying to discern whether it was a rat or opossum that was crawling through the sewage system near the fifth street in Ascension Parish. “Thought you had the place surrounded?” Felt more like a rat.

“We have. Laroche's men are a bunch of civilians with guns, but at least even they can follow an order. Main problem is that the Gas Works have been taken over by those ice freaks. We can't get in to tighten the noose.”

Gas Works...if it wasn't so cold, Alex could probably relocate some of his mass there, sniff Bertrand out that way-

He cut off his train of thoughts when the other part of what Cross said settled in, and that one made his stomach roll and sent shocks of panic race through his system. “The Beast. It will be here by dusk?”

“Yes”, Cross exhaled once and ran his hand down his face in a very obvious gesture of exhaustion. “Rooks's been throwing everything we have at this thing, even got the other branches to help, but so far it shrugged everything off. The radioactive cloud that accompanies it is probably already all around us, but I can't get any more updates at the moment.” He grunted. “Let's hope your idea with this RFI actually works.”

Alex actually hoped so too- but he knew that Kessler had put a lot of trust into Wolfe, and every time Cole absorbed a Blast Core, he became stronger while  _something_ changed. He couldn't put a finger on it, but he would almost assume that Cole started to get...tuned to the RFI. Just like what Wolfe told him. 

Damn, he wished he would have had time to talk to Wolfe outside of their first meeting in his lab. Another part of him also wished that the Militia hadn't shot the doctor through the head, because he could have consumed the body-- Alex snorted and burried that part of him ruthlessly as soon he realized into which direction his thoughts started pulling.

He shook his head, forcing his attention back to the Specialist. “Bertrand had some interesting toys”, he told him instead. “Not sure what kind, but a bunch of guys were pretty excited. I think one of them mentioned that there was something that could actually hurt the Beast” He cocked his head. “Why not take a look?”

Cross was silent for a moment as he considered it. “I'll check it out and decide whether it's actually worth my attention. Better I do something instead of just sitting around. Where?”

Alex was halfway through motioning into the direction, when he stopped with a frown. “Huh”, his eyes narrowed. “Looks like Dunbar got to the stash first.”

Cross exhaled once, not even asking how he knew. “In that case, I'd better get over there and make sure he doesn't blow all of us sky-high.” He snapped his fingers again, and the Wisemen's D-Code materialized out of nowhere. “Captain, you make sure you keep an eye on this fucker here. Once everything is over, I'm going to have a few choice words with him about keeping infectious material lying around.”

Alex scoffed, but refrained from yelling after him as the Colonel wandered off. This 'outbreak' was only active as long he willed it. But to Blackwatch, it was all the same. No?

...It was all the same, wasn't it?

Blacklight, Redlight...there wasn't much that told them apart from each other. He wasn't so much different from Greene or the Supreme Hunter. It didn't really matter what he attempted to do with the Biomass- it was still the virus spread all over the city.

Alex let out a sigh and shook his head, belatedly realizing he had spaced out again. He really should try and keep his mind in the game, especially with the Beast coming.  
The Beast...His back bristled. It was nearby, he could  _feel_ it approach through the ground- faint, but steadily coming closer.

They needed a way to stop it, needed  _some_ way to halt its march-

The RFI.

Wolfe had treated it as the magic bullet even without knowing whether it would work, that much Alex had learnt from the decrypted data. The idea behind it was solid, though: Each Conduit had a specific Ray Field, and the RFI looked like it could be programmed to inhibit only a specific Field-   
Only the doctor never found a way to figure out  _what_ specific Field should be affected, and as such, the RFI would be more like a sledgehammer as opposed to a delicate tool, stopping basically  _all_ Ray Fields.

Possibly killing all active Conduits. Or just depowering them? Neither was a chance he really wanted to take. Latter would be doable, but he didn't feel right with it.

“Captain”, he heard himself say, turning to face the Supersoldier. “You seen any telecommunication services around here?”

The D-Code's head snapped up from where he had been glued to the screen of his phone, and his brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“Telecommunication Services. Or, fuck, I don't know, an electronics store or something.”

Supersoldiers apparently weren't designed with mental prowess in mind, because that guy was just staring, blinking and taking very long to form a reply. “Why?”

Alex snorted, attention already back in the city as he tried to find what he was looking for. Electronics stores were harder to search for, since they weren't living things- but he had his ways- reading electromagnetic fields, for example, and find those humans closest to it.  
The very second he discovered something that could have been what interested him, he kicked off the ground. The D-Code set after him almost immediately, swearing, but way too slow to actually stop him. By the time the Captain caught up to him, Alex had already located his target and approached it.

He didn't care much for the armored giant at his back as he easily but steadily walked towards a van and two men who were having a smoke break. Alex grimaced briefly, collecting himself, then cleared his throat. Verbal communication had never been one of his stronger abilities when he was wearing his default face. “Hello there.”

The two men eyed him and the massive D-Code, who stopped a little surprised. Then suddenly, both snapped to attention, and the left one dropped his cigarette. “Holy shit! You're the guy that saved my cousin!”

The Runner stopped momentarily, cocking his head and furrowing his brows. “I guess I am?”  
Wait, this was  _easy_ \- he had a point to work from. “Maybe you could help me?”

“Hell yeah!” The other said cheerfully, “You and Cole, you've done so much for us! And-” He cut himself off, now finally becoming aware of the Supersoldier, who hung back in confusion. “Damn! Ain't you one of Bertrand's monkeys?”

The Captain scoffed, the sound deep and rough. “I'm not. That fucker just figured my squad and I were a better show than his bunch of inbred hicks.”

“He got lied to just like you were”, Alex explained.

The two men eyed the giant briefly, then huffed out. “Yeah, can't believe we've been that stupid to let Bertrand feed us bullshit.”

Reverse Swarm Intelligence, but Alex wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he cocked his head and waited until the two picked up the thread on their own. “We'll make sure we don't get wool pulled over our eyes again, and you make sure to tell the Electric Man we'll support him.”

“Yeah, so what do you want, man?”

The Runner motioned towards the van they were standing in front of. “You are electrical engineers, right?”

“Yeah, we got called because there apparently are energy spikes?” 

That was most likely Cole's work, Alex thought, though refrained from saying anything. “Good, because I might need one of your field strength meters.”

The men blinked, as did the captain, but still looked through their equipment to extract the hand-held device. “Sure, you help us, we help you, but... _why_ ?”

Alex didn't know either. He just had a feeling, a vague idea, much like Wolfe when he created the RFI, he supposed. But he had Wolfe's research documents, and he had the bomb cases- all of it worked on Ray Field Energy. He heard himself thank the men and turn to go as soon he had the device, but wasn't paying attention otherwise- his mind was already in the process of comparing all available information and turn them around until they produced a clear picture.

He was slightly startled when his perpetual shadow made a disgruntled noise. Alex grunted and turned to face the Supersoldier, only vaguely realizing that he was back at their trailer hideout and that he already trashed the place in his apparent frantic search for tools and materials. The loss of time worried him a bit, but on the other hand he didn't hear the city that much anymore now that he was focusing on something else.

“First you storm off, then you ignore my questions, and now you're tearing your place apart”, the D-Code grunted, arms crossed over his chest. “Seriously, you going mental?”

Alex scoffed, placing the tools he found on the low table. “I had an epiphany.”

The man snorted amused. “Don't tell me you're going to be a preacher now.”

“Never. But I realized a few things.” He tapped the laptop and called up a few diagrams. “The Beast- I can't beat it by hitting it, no matter how hard. Didn't work for Kessler, didn't work in the past, sure as Hell won't work for me.” He put the strength field meter down and started disassembling it. “I got too many fucking voices in my head to get a clear thought. But just now I had. And I know what I have to do.” He only had to jury-rig the scanner using the RFI as base to figure out what kind of frequency the Beast gave off, then he would be able to program the RFI and have Cole disable just that one frequency-

It meant he'd have to get close to the Beast to get the frequency.

That would also mean that the Beast was already in the city, and chances were high they'd be all dead by then. He was fast, but probably not fast enough to finish the RFI  _and_ have Cole activate the last needed Blast Cores to be able to even  _use_ the thing- It would just be a paperweight until then. The main problem there was, however, that neither of them had even an idea where more Blast Cores could be.

“Fuck”, he growled, hands stilling momentarily. The D-Code glanced at him again, eyebrow arched, though Alex only half paid attention to him as his thoughts started turning in on themselves. “Can't get a frequency without being close to the Beast, but if the Beast is here, we're dead anyways. Maybe skip the last Blast Cores? No. No. Too risky.” He tapped the table. “Maybe rush over and try to scan it before it notices me? No. It's too close already.” He paused again, eyes narrowing on the Supersoldier. “Why doesn't it stays in this pocket dimension like it did until now? Why _walk_ here? Because of Cole? Kessler said it would go after him, but what makes him different?”

“Yeah, I just got like a third of what you're saying”, the captain grunted, startling Alex with the realization that he had audience on his raving. “Was probably not for me anyways, right? However, since you asked a question, I try to answer it.” He crossed his arms and cocked his head. “You know who this Beast reminds me of, the way you just described it? _You_.”

“Me?” Alex inclined his head quizzically.

“Yup. This whole stuff with marching towards your enemy instead of just, you know, _sneak_ in and blow everything to shit before we can react? You did the same.”

When he chased after Taggart. Because he needed Taggart afraid and running, because then the man made mistakes.

...It would fit. The Beast had tried to stop them in Empire, and when it didn't manage to do so, it began looking for Cole along the coast. Once it figured where he was, it stopped disappearing and just marched towards New Marais in the open.  
It wanted to face Cole again, and possibly try to make him afraid so he would make mistakes.

“The Beast won't destroy New Marais”, Alex realized. “Not yet, anyways. Not before it met with Cole.” What would it want with the Conduit? A rematch, maybe?

That wasn't good. It was better than immediate destruction, but not  _good_ at any rate. At least they got some room to breathe? Hopefully. 

He grit his teeth and turned back to the scanner, finishing putting it together. He'd need Blast Shards and Conduits to test it on, but so far, he hoped he understood Wolfe's data correctly.

“Shit, there's no time to wonder about that”, Alex growled, shoving the scanner into his chest cavity as he marched out of the trailer. “Captain, contact Cross. Tell him this thing is not coming here to destroy anything, it is here to challenge Cole for whatever reason.”

“That's a pretty thin assumption to make”, the D-Code muttered, though went for his radio to give an update regardless.

“We've been making assumptions this whole time, and they were mostly correct”, Alex replied with a snarl. He needed to prepare, too, had to find a way to slow this thing down-

Because he could sense it at the edge of his perception. His magnetic receptors at the borders of the swamp were going haywire, and he sensed all other life escape the closer vicinity. His eyes were sharp, sharp enough to spot the plume of smoke that heralded the Beast's arrival.

This time, he wouldn't be afraid of the thing. He knew it was weaker than the one Kessler faced, which in turn gave him a chance to take it down.  
The city had fallen into tense silence.

* * *

“And where do you think you are going?” Dana winced and forced herself to turn and face James, who stood casually leaning against a wall and watched her closely. His posture was relaxed, but she swore she had heard a flicker of concern in her voice. “Abandoning us?”

Dana blinked, realizing what it must have looked like, then shook her head. “Hell no. I'm not leaving any of you.”

“Would maybe be the smarter move”, Heller cut in with a startlingly clear tone of defeat. “Thinking about the same, actually.” He shook his head after a brief moment. “I can't go however. The Beast is coming here. You were sure this RFI will work, so I will stay until the end.”

“You should be thinking about Maya, though. Asides from you she doesn't have any family left.”

“Yeah, but if we don't stop this thing here, everything's over anyways.” He sighed, then glanced at the young woman. “So, where are you going, if not out of the city?”

“Nix's place”, Dana replied with a huff, then furrowed her brows. “Or at least, I wanted to. No idea where she lives, actually.”

“Nix?” Heller furrowed his brows. “The Fire Conduit? Why?”

Yes, why? It never seemed like the Swamp Witch actually cared about others. “She simply stormed off after we finished at the rail yard”, Dana pointed out. “And I'd like to at least thank her for her help.”

Heller arched one eyebrow, then snorted amused. “And despite having no idea where to look, you would have started looking for her anyways?”

“Well, I know she's somewhere in the swamp.” The words hadn't left her mouth fully when Heller leaned back with a groan. “And you figured you'd just find her?”

Dana snorted. “Sure, I'll just head into the swamps and hope I'll stumble over her. Won't work.”

“So?”

“I know however, where the people lived that Bertrand had collected so he could activate the Ray Sphere.” She had managed to crack into one of the older servers, and from the looks of it, they have never been cleaned out. Possible they simply forgot about it. “I bet she's still nearby. If the Militia found her there once, they won't look a second time.” Dana furrowed her brows when another thought formed in her mind. “But if you accompany me, you can find her track, can't you?”

“I can”, Heller confirmed, “However, who says I'm going to come with you?”

Dana grinned mischievously. “You don't  _have_ to, but if I go on my own, Alex will be really unpleasant if he learns you let me wander Louisiana swamps without protection.”

“Protection for who? You, or the gators?” Heller shook his head. “Fine, I'll tag along. Might as well try to clear my mind from all this stuff going on here.” He grimaced briefly. “Might be more silent in the bog.”

“Silent?” Dana's brows furrowed. “The people here partying too hard for your taste?”

“Nope, not that.” The Evolved slowly fell in step besides her. “It's the Hive Mind.”

“The Hive?” She looked at him, eyes narrowing. “It's about those Hydras, and all that stuff, right? Alex said he has eyes and ears everywhere in the city- in the literal sense of the word.”

“Yeah, feels like it alright”, Heller admitted. “Guess it's just the way it is- if it is active, the virus will constantly scan its surroundings. Your brother however _is_ the virus, and as such he is aware of everything around. If I can hear a constant whisper at the back of my head, I don't want to know what it's like for the focus of the virus.”

Dana cocked her head. “And you don't think you should help him?”

Heller snorted. “Fuck no. He put himself into this situation, he can try to get out by himself again. Me, I'll just look whether distance makes it easier. If not, I can still bitch about it.”

Dana thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, that seems fair.” She shuffled her feet slightly. “So...ready to go?”

“I am”, Heller confirmed. “Lead the way.”

“Shouldn't it be the other way around?”

“Hey, you said you knew where the people lived. Once there, I will look whether I can figure out where your Swamp Witch went.”

Dana chuckled, and started walking.  
The path, as she had to realize, was in poor shape and without Conduit powers nearly not passable anymore. Nobody had walked this way since a few years. However, Dana also quickly discovered a few broken branches that had been clearly singed- so Nix had been here, and not too long ago too. Heller seemed to think something similar, because he subconsciously started walking to the front more and began sniffing the air audibly.

Then the trees parted and the Evolved whistled. Out of the thicket they stepped into a shanty town.  
Made of thin wood and corrugated iron sheets, it was clearly build without contractors. There were no streets, no signs, just a bunch of huts put up all around them. All of them were in disrepair, the windows were shattered and the roofs leaky. Some had collapsed entirely.

And nobody was there. It was like one of the Wild West Ghost Towns, abandoned after the Gold Rush wore off.

Only in this case, the population never left on their own, Dana reminded herself when she noticed a weather-beaten rocking chair with a half-rotten doll sitting on it. Everything had been abandoned in a hurry, and the population never came back home.

All but one.

Heller made a noise and pointed down what counted as the main street. Dana squinted into the direction he gestured to and noticed the shack that was half hidden behind shrubbery and cypress trees.

Even at a distance, this building looked cared for. An impression that only added to the closer they came. The corrugated iron roof had been patched several times over, one window was cracked, but all of them were clean. A worn quilt lay across a comfy looking wicker armchair on the porch. Strings of leaves and mushrooms for drying were attached to the roof structure. A chicken coop was at the side of the building, and several of the birds approached them curiously, clucking as they looked for bugs to eat.

“Can' shake ya, no?”

Dana turned her head slightly to look at the Fire Conduit, who was perched on the lowest branch of the closest cypress tree to her house.

“Nope, we'll just find you again.”

Nix sighed once. “Wy ya 'ere?”

“To tell you thank you”, the younger Mercer told her, making her blink in surprise. “You just straight up vanished from the Rail Yard without saying a word to anybody, and I guess nobody spoke to you either- so I'll do it. Thank you for your help.”

The Conduit blinked again, then waved her off. “Pf. A din' do it for ya. A did it to 'urt Bertrand.”

“Yeah, I call bullshit on that one”, Heller threw in with a slight scoff. “If that was true, you would have hunted him down instead of coming back here.”

“Well, de chicken need to be fed.” Even to Dana's ears, this sounded defensive. She just crossed her arms. “That's not it. Out with it, Nix.”

The Fire Conduit bristled, then deflated visible after a moment. “A tougt we'd get Bertrand. A tougt wit' Alex and Cole we coulda kill 'im dead. Won' bring back mah family, but a would feel better. But den...”

“But then Bertrand escaped”, Heller nodded his head. “I know how this feels. You finally have the chance to hurt big bad, but big bad manages to give you the slip. And all you can do is be pissed off about it.”

“If it makes you feel better, Cross and Alex have him surrounded, though”, Dana added, “He's like a rat in a trap now. We just need to get into Gas Works and drag him out.”

“Den wy don' ya?”

“Can't start the party without you”, was the answer. “Bertrand won't get away anyways, and once we draw him out, it'd be great if you were there so you don't miss the fun part.”

Nix inclined her head, swinging her legs slightly before she jumped off the tree. “Ya promise? Alex promised we'd get dat bastard, but 'e's still alive.”

“Because he wants to fight him when he is in his monster form”, Heller informed her. This was new to Dana, but not as surprising as it should be. Leave it to her brother to ignore the easy target and wait until they powered up. 

“Wy wait? Bertrand jus' waits to be killed, man!” Nix obviously didn't understand that logic either.

Heller shrugged. “Because, apparently, he likes his meals big enough they drown out the taste of scumbag beneath.”

Nix paused and blinked. “Shit, man. A tougt 'e was 'appy wit' de Swamp Tings? Wy Betrand?”

“Because Bertrand needs to die. And needs to be as dead as somehow possible. When Alex chews them, they won't ever come back. Right, James--?”

In an instant, Dana realized that something was off. Heller was staring at thin air with enough intensity to set it alight- then his teeth were bared the second the chicken around them stopped looking for bugs and starting clucking and flapping their wings agitated. She slowly turned around, eyes narrowing.  
There, in the distance, a column of smoke trailed into the air, surrounded by all kinds of birds flying away from it.

“Nix!” Dana whirled on the Conduit, jabbing her finger to the upper branches of the cypress tree. “Get me up there, now!”

“Wat?”

“You heard me!” The other woman didn't ask, just grabbed a secure hold of Dana and thrust her body upwards in a cloud of embers and smoke. Dana choked briefly and her eyes instantly started tearing, but as fast as it began, it was over, and Nix kept hold of her to prevent her from falling off the tree.  
The Swamp Witch inhaled sharply, prompting Dana to look where she had seen the smoke- and her heart stopped.

A giant burning human figure rose from the swamp a few miles or so away from their position, clearly recognizable as it made its way across the land, scorching everything it touched. A swarm of helicopters and jets were chasing after it, only to be swatted out of the air like irksome flies when the entity merely brushed its hand through the air space they just occupied.

Dana swore, grabbing the tree branches as she yelled towards the ground. “James! Contact Alex! The Beast is coming!”

The tree shuddered the second Heller made his appearance at the top of the branch where the other two were standing. “I know!” He bit back, “Let's get out of here as fast as possible-”

There was a flash of light, and the Evolved moved  _fast_ , grabbing both Dana and Nix and yanking them off their feet, leaping back downwards and crouching over them when an ear-shattering blast tore the usual silence in the bog apart. Dana swore again, eyes squeezed shut and her hand twisting into Heller's shirt when bright light nearly blinded her and washed over them in waves of heat and kinetic force. Trees cracked and toppled, and a blast of wind roared deafening over them.

The entire thing was over within  _moments_ , but to Dana it felt like it was drawing on forever. Her eyes were still squeezed shut, but she could still see the blinding light that had washed over them. Her fingers started hurting from how hard she was twisting them into Heller's shirt, and she could feel the incredible heat Nix was giving off on her side, but didn't dare move until the Evolved did so himself and loosened the grip he had on them.

The man huffed out as he dragged both women back to their feet, his massive frame nearly completely blotting out the strange-looking sky overhead. “Motherfucker”, he grunted. “Hope that was that.”

Nix made a disbelieving noise at the damage wrought around them- her shack was nearly completely blown apart and trees had toppled on top of it. The chicken were gone too, probably ripped away by the gale winds.  
But her attention wasn't on the remains of her home. The Conduit was staring at the sky, where a massive mushroom-shaped cloud was rising from the same spot the Beast had been.

Dana's jaw dropped. “A  _nuke_ ?” She turned to Heller. “James, give it to me fair and square- how in the world did they get a  _nuke_ ?!”

* * *

“How in the world did Bertrand get a _nuke_?!”

“Don't ask me, brother, I'm just the messenger.”

“Your friends on the Militia didn't tell you anything?”

“Nah, man. They just said that Bertrand knows people. And I guess some got access to a nuke.” A shrug followed that initial statement. “But it wasn't in any condition- Bertrand had Wolfe fix it up for him, so I think he got it a bit cheaper. I'd say we shouldn't look a gift nuke in the mouth though.”

“Gentlemen” Both froze and turned to face the third member of their party with varying states of fear. “You want me to get this thing rigged up, or do you want to stand there and mouth off?”

“Hey, alone the fact you _know_ how to ready a goddamn _nuke_ makes me rethink our entire relationship.” A grimace followed that statement. “We could blow up the whole city, you know? I'm not sure about that.”

“I doubt we ever had a relationship to begin with”, the older man snorted. “And we won't damage the city too much if we use this thing before the Beast gets any closer, so we don't have much time. Now, you want to use this thing on the Beast or not? Because if I don't get any help here soon, I won't get it ready.”

“Yeah, right. Got it.” Cole approached him, generated a field of electromagnetism and slowly lifted the warhead off the cart it had rested on and lowered it into the bed of a truck Zeke had acquired in the chaos that followed the Rail Yard incident. He still couldn't believe that the Militia had had access to a _nuke_ , alone the idea that a bunch of trigger-happy hicks had the possibility to screw them up from every direction...he grit his teeth and subconsciously clenched his fists.

Colonel Blackwatch just arched one eyebrow. “Easy. Don't damage the hull, will you?”

Right. Cole forced himself to relax and gently put the warhead down onto the truck bed. Colonel Blackwatch then motioned for Zeke to tie it down to prevent it from falling off.   
He still couldn't really believe it that they were currently handling a live nuclear warhead- when Zeke had called him, he had thought of something along the lines of a ray gun, or space weaponry (because, hey, he had superpowers and Bertrand was a literal Bond villain, so the lack of Death Rays was kind of disappointing), but he hadn't expected a nuke. 

Just as he didn't expect Colonel Blackwatch march right in and take over the entire show. He would have thought the man was more busy with everything else, instead he declared he would call the shots on that one.  
It was better that way, however, because neither of them two knew how to even  _use_ a nuke, and wouldn't have any authority to clear the target area anyways. The Colonel was better equipped for the whole situation. 

The man climbed into the driver's cabin next to Zeke, who took to the wheel, while Cole climbed on the cabin in itself to keep everything under observation. “Where to, Dunbar?”

His best friend flinched again. “The docks, Sir”, he bit out with a squeak, “I mean-”

“The docks at the South of the Flood Town?” The colonel inclined his head slightly. “Why, and lose the Sir.”

“Oh, that's...” Zeke inhaled once to calm himself. “That's because Bertrand already used the constructions and cranes there to hide the fact he built a launcher for the nuke.”

Colonel Blackwatch just leaned back, arms crossed over his chest. “Why would he want to do that?”

“His guys always said it was so he could keep the city safe, you know? Guess it was his kind of insurance in case things went way south.” Zeke furrowed his brows as he got the engine running. “I wonder why you don't question just how he got a nuke?”

The Specialist waved him off. “Pah. Since the end of the second World War, the government lost a whole bunch of those warheads without even knowing where they ended up. Bertrand comes from old money, and those people can get whatever they want. Nobody's going to ask if it is a technically derelict specimen- nobody knew he had a doctor at hand who knew how to prime it. No, I don't question that.” He grinned briefly. “In fact, it could be helpful. You know, I am not authorized to use a thermonuclear warhead, even a jury-rigged one with such a small payload such as this one. I shoot one, and I'd get court-martialed at best and shot on sight at worst. However, Bertrand is a civilian- if he fires one, it will be on his head. And he will be dead anyways.”

“But”, Cole felt complied to point out, “Bertrand isn't here?”

The Colonel's grin widened. “That is something people don't need to know, no?”

“Sir, I think I like how you think”, Zeke laughed, then pushed the accelerator. “Okay everybody, hold on to somethin' because this truck is about to take off.”

Cole glanced across the water to the other side. The dock was plainly visible, but to reach it, they had to drive all the way to the west, cross the bridge, and head back east to the southern-most part of Flood Town. Quite a distance- though they should be able to get through with no problem. Hopefully, because the Militia was running scared, weren't they?

The Colonel was on his radio. “Captain, get me a secure route from the North Canal to the docks, and clear the area around the latter.”

“ _Consider it done, sir”_

“Good. Thanks”, he pointed at the street. “What are you waiting for, Dunbar?”

Zeke jumped. “Right, Sir”

“Lose the sir”, the soldier rumbled as Zeke turned towards the street and carefully drove along it. Cole wondered when he had learnt controlling semi trucks.   
Then a Blackhawk swooped down from the East, hovering over their truck. Cole could see the surprised faces of the pilot and co-pilot. The Colonel's radio crackled. _“Sir? Is that a motherfucking nuke you got there?!”_

“Bertrand got one- illegally, I might add- so it will be Bertrand who authorized the usage”, the soldier replied simply.

“ _Red Crown won't like it”_

“Red Crown authorized Operation _Firebreak_. On Manhattan.” He shrugged. “Payload's small enough to not affect New Marais, but it should be enough to blow that bastard to high Hell. Besides, we don't have much time.”

“ _No. We don't. Red Crown confirmed its presence inside the Red Zone.”_

“Good, then let's not waste any more time.” The Colonel motioned for Zeke to put the foot to the pedal and the truck jumped to the front. 

Cole swayed briefly, then anchored himself magnetically and waved awkwardly at the helicopter as they passed by under it. The Blackhawk instantly set after them, hovering high enough about them so the wind blasts from its rotor wouldn't affect him too much, but at the same time it was low enough so it was clearly guarding them.

The bridge was trashed, with dozens of derelict cars strewn about. Zeke stopped the truck, clearing his throat. “Hey, Cole, man. Remember Empire? You had to clean the bridge too, so Trish and the others could pass through.”

“I remember.” He threw a glance at the Blackhawk, then jumped off the driver's cabin to throw a powerful shockwave into the first of the cars and send it reeling backwards. Another car he blew up with a pair of grenades, another he sent careening off the bridge with a rocket. 

_Ah, screw this_ . He checked whether there were any civilians, and finding none, he yanked the Amp free of its mounting and spun in a circle, swinging the weapon like a baseball bat- summoning a tornado of ashes and lightning to clear the way. He rushed after the vortex, leapt on top of another derelict car that didn't get the memo, and pulled it upwards with his magnetic powers- then he shot it to the front and off the bridge. 

The last car he just ground-spiked out of the way with a set of ice spears.

“Bridge's clear-” He cut himself off at the sound of slow clapping, and turned around to see a pair of black-clad soldiers standing casually at the corner, surrounded by several smoldering corpses of Corrupted.

“Nice work, kid”, one of them pointed out.

“Yeah, we almost forgot smoking these bastards out because you were so distracting.”

Cole snorted at their sarcasm. “Thank you, assholes.” He briefly glanced at the cadavers. “Huh, thought we had gotten them all?”

“Apparently we didn't”, the tall black man commented, nudging one carcass with the tip of his boot.

“Sun helped us”, the other added. “Makes me think somebody wanted to stop you guys to send these things out when they were clearly at disadvantage.”

“Yeah, but why? We are quite literally on our way to save this entire city.” Cole shook his head. “Thanks for the assist, guys” He climbed back on top of the semi as it approached. Colonel Blackwatch just nodded at his team, and the truck continued driving. On the last few hundred yards Cole noticed a few more Blackwatch soldiers milling about or keeping some of the Corrupted at bay- or a few of those Ice Freaks. Cole was about to assist, when the Blackhawk swooped down and peppered the ground with missiles, taking out several of those idiots with frightful ease.

As the truck approached the docks, a female Blackwatch soldier approached them. “Sir”

“Captain”, Colonel Blackwatch got out of the cabin. “Any problems?”

“Place was overrun by those Ice Freaks”, she commented. “Some didn't get the message, but other than that we got most of the area secured.”

“Good”, The man turned to Zeke. “You get the truck into position. MacGrath, you and I will get the crane ready and check up on the guiding system.”

“Got it” The Conduit headed around to the base of the west crane, then started climbing, taking two rungs of the ladder at the same time. The Colonel was close behind, mounting the construction like a man twenty years younger. Military was one Hell of a rejuvenation, Cole figured-

His radar system screamed in alarm at him and he just barely managed to dive out of the way before one of those ice freaks could ventilate his skull. The Conduit snarled and whirled around, swinging the Amp and slamming it with full force into the armored visage of the mercenary. The man stumbled back, but was about to recover when a single shot echoed out and ripped through his skull, dropping him. Cole slowly turned to see the Colonel stand behind him with a smoking rifle. He cocked his head and simply tapped his radio. “We got contact. Open up.”

Gunfire erupted down on the docks, followed by the shattering of ice. Cole rushed to the rail preventing him from falling off to stare towards the ground, where the Blackwatch Soldiers were in the process of taking down the ice freaks. Blackwatch was obviously better trained and equipped, if vastly outnumbered. The Colonel sighed as another ice guy appeared behind them. He casually drew that stun baton of his. “I got this here. Go down and play the hero, if you have to.”

Cole didn't let the man tell that to him twice- he lunged across the railing and dropped several stories down, gathering kinetic energy to turn it into electrical and give it off the very second he hit the floor in a massive discharge. Two guys he knocked back at once, a third he took out with a brutal swing of his Amp.

Somebody fired at his back. Cole dove to the side and rolled behind a container to heal himself first. Then he threw up his shield and dashed right back outside, charging in and battering the guy like a runaway train. Another bunch of guys tried to ambush him- he kicked off the floor and catapulted himself several stories into the air with an ice pillar. Using the fire gliding, he managed to get some distance between himself and the mercenaries, though once he hit the floor, he slammed the Amp into the ground to summon a wave of ice spikes to force the guys back- unlike Kuo, these assholes could be hurt with their own element.

Some were on a roof nearby, firing at him- and Cole was about to whirl on them when both collapsed at the same time, following the cracks of shooting. Two of the Wisemen lowered their rifles, and one of both grinned at Cole. “Thanks for distracting them. Makes it much easier.”

“Yeah, you're welcome, but I think there are-” He cut himself off as the Blackhawk swooped down and peppered the ground with missiles, taking out whoever remained. “Never mind, you got that.” He blinked. “Shit. Zeke!” Cole spun around, looking for his friend, when the man in question peeked out behind a train car. 

“Here, Cole. Thought it'd be better if I keep my head down. Leave all the ice freak wranglin' to the professionals.”

In that moment, a heavily armored and thoroughly ventilated ice soldier crashed into the ground in front of them and didn't move anymore, as if to prove a point. Colonel Blackwatch glanced down from his high position, voice raised. “You guys down there finished? Good, then get that warhead loaded!”

The Wisemen scrambled to load the missile into the launcher, though the captain stopped Cole from helping. “We shoot this thing, and the shockwave is still going to hit us  _hard_ . We look after your buddy, but you make sure the boss gets through this mostly unharmed, clear?”

“As crystal”, Cole hurried to climb back topside, though paused and glanced at the city sprawled between him and the bog, where the Beast was clearly visible as a plume of smoke. He swallowed and hurried to climb the construction crane, meeting up with the Colonel who was bent over what probably were the launcher controls. “What about the city?”

“Called Robertson and Laroche”, the Specialist replied without looking up. “Before I met you two. Told them to evacuate the entire West Side of the city.” He dangled his radio between his fingers. “Evacuations are so far finished.”

“And your own guys?”

The man's expression changed. “Nobody left alive in a five-mile radius around the Beast”, he growled. “Got the updates from Red Crown. Told them to stay the fuck away for now.”

“Ah, shit”, Cole grimaced. “Sorry-”

“What are _you_ sorry for? You didn't kill them, but you can help that they don't go un-avenged.” The Colonel scoffed and glanced through a small pair of binoculars. “Bastard is very close already.”

His radio chirped.  _“Payload loaded, sir”_

“Good. Get out of the launch zone. I'll meet you down there. MacAlistair, you take the chopper down. You won't survive if it crashes.”

“ _Sir”_

He turned to Cole. “When the warhead explodes, don't look into the fire, or you'll go blind, got it?”

Don't look into the explosion, and look after the colonel because he wasn't as durable. Cole nodded. “Got it.”

“Good” Cross nodded to himself, checked the launching computer again- and pressed the button like it was an everyday occurrence. Almost at the same time, Cole heard the hiss of the warhead down below- and the Colonel spun around, nearly tackling into him. The Conduit reacted instantly, whipping up his shield within the blink of an eye and seizing the older man with his free hand while squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't see the impact, but he certainly saw the light, even through closed eyes.

Then the shockwave hit like a massive invisible fist. Cross bit out what could have been expletives under his breath, though Cole couldn't be so sure. He was aware of the construction he was on rock wildly under him, so he anchored himself to the ground and ducked deeper behind his shield while the ice and electrical field in front of him sizzled and cracked and it took ever ounce of his focus to keep it in one piece.

Cole grunted and slowly opened his eyes, realizing he was sprawled on the floor. Everything around him was silent, deafening so, in fact, and the sky looked strange. He coughed and slowly climbed to his feet, groaning at the sore feeling of his muscles. He hadn't even realized he lost consciousness, and for a moment wasn't even sure  _where_ he was.

That he quickly remembered when he found the other guy curled up against the rail.  _Shit_ . “Hey, Cross? You okay?”

The Specialist coughed weakly and peeked at him from half-closed eye lids. “Guess so. Tomorrow will feel like fuck, but right now...” He grimaced and forced himself to stand, while Cole helped him to his feet. “Thanks”

“No problem, man”, The Conduit looked around, seeing the burning inferno where the Beast had been. A grin slowly began spreading on his face. “Man, we did it.”

“Looks like”, the other man coughed a few times to clear his throat. “Lucky this thing held”, he mentioned with an absent-minded kick against the crane. “Miracle. Let's take a look at how the others are holding up. More detachable objects down there.”

“Guess so” Cole didn't feel like hopping down, because his throat was dry and his body felt like a wet washcloth. He had to absorb some electricity to get better, but he figured the shockwave knocked loose a Hell of a lot of cables, because the area around them was dead, so to speak.

He didn't see the Wisemen anywhere, and it looked like a storm had went through. Many of the smaller objects were gone, and pretty much all of the glass he could see was shattered. Embers were drifting through the red air. Cross bit out a sharp bark, ordering his team to attention, and only got a few coughs and groans in reply.

He arched an eyebrow, glanced at Cole briefly, then had him lead the way to the closest collection of human energy signatures. The Wisemen had gotten rather unlucky- they had hidden behind the base of a massive crane, only that it wasn't as sturdy as it should have been and all of them were summarily buried beneath loose rubble. Luckily, Cole still counted the same amount of life signs he had sensed before, so they hadn't lost any of them. He grimaced briefly, then generated his force field to carefully pick the rubble up and free the soldiers.

“Shitty construction, sir”, the Captain grimaced through what was likely pain as she attempted to sit up once she was free, only to abort it and flop uselessly against the floor. Cole's toes curled in sympathy as he crouched down next to her and her team. “I can fix you up, you know?”

“And miss the few days off and Oxy? Hell naw”, the black gunner joked, then winced.

Zeke was right in the middle of the pack, whining in pain. Cole just shook his head. “Sorry, no Oxy for you guys. I fix you up, and you can get out quickly again.” He cracked his knuckles and placed both palms flat against the closest Wiseman, sending out a shock to increase the self-healing rate in all of them to mere moments. Was the first time he ever tried with a larger group, but the effect stayed the same, and no matter how thirsty he felt, healing always worked. Was likely some form of reserve he couldn't touch, since it was basically his self-healing he just copied to others as long they were in range.

There were a few shocked yelps as his powers did their work, and once it was over, Cross cocked his head in what could have been surprise. His team slowly climbed to their feet puzzled-  
Then they cheered, giving each other high-fives, some clapped Cole's back. “God, yes!” Zeke grinned as he joined in, “We cooked that goose right!”

“You still need to get yourself checked over”, the Colonel grumbled as he watched them celebrate.

“Just sore, boss”, one of them claimed with a grin. “Will be over in a few days.”

“Reminds me of Empire”, Zeke winced with an attempted smile, “When Kessler kicked my ass.”

“I ought to kick your ass”, Cole scoffed, patting his friend a little too aggressively to dust him off. “Seriously, dumb idea with that nuke.”

“Worked, didn't it?” No denying _that_. Cole couldn't even sense the Beast anymore. So maybe they wouldn't need the RFI anymore?

The Conduit shook his head to himself and walked over to where a flood light had collapsed and was blocking their way out. He figured it would be nice of him to spare them having to climb over it. Would make it easier to get out of here, because right now, all he wanted to do was go back home and sleep a little. He suspected, the Wisemen thought similar.

Then his radar went haywire, and the assembled team stopped simultaneously.

In the air above the docks a fire was burning, radiating outwards and inwards like it was breathing- before it suddenly ignited and turned into a massive vortex suspended in mid-air, slowly sucking in and twisting the cranes they'd been on a few moments ago, eating up more and more material.

Ice ran down Cole's back. “No. No. No fucking way.”

The Beast. It had eaten a  _nuke_ . And it didn't seem to have slowed it down much.

“Team!” Cross barked and there was a distinct tone of panic in his voice, “Evacuate the area _now_!”

The vortex shivered and belched up once, collapsing in on itself for a brief moment before it stabilized itself- and the Wisemen started running with a swear. Two grabbed Zeke and dragged him along, and Cole hurried to the front to remove whatever obstacle had fallen into their direct escape route. Running away was possible- they just had to get to the truck that miraculously survived and get the Hell out of dodge here- but Cole still felt like the ground was yanked out under his feet.

They should have defeated this thing, should have  _destroyed_ it- but they had failed. The air began burning, and even though the group already reached the truck, they knew they were too late- Because the vortex roared once and the air was set on fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, seriously, where did Bertrand get a Nuke from?
> 
> On another note, because of all the shit that happened in the last half year, I'm slowly closing in on the end of my buffer. I mean, this particular chapter took more than one and a half month to complete. So unless I manage to get one chapter done in six days or less, I am afraid we'll hit some longer breaks between each chapter. On the other hand, we're closing in on the finale, so those fears might be unfounded.   
> Thought I'd let you know, however.


	22. Conflict of Interests

He would always recognize the shockwave following a nuclear explosion. Barely surviving one burnt the memories deep into his core he thought, as he ran to the dock where he suspected the warhead had been launched from.

Mostly because he realized Cole and Dunbar were there, and who else would have hatched the idea to use a nuke so close to a city?  
Well, Blackwatch maybe, and coincidentally, the Wisemen were present too. Alex was about to become irritated, because  _why_ allowed Cross these idiots to fire a weapon like that in the first place; when out of nowhere his balance was shot to shit. He just barely managed to stop on a roof and lean against the roof exit with a groan to avoid cratering, while the world around him spun out of control.

His current companion caught up to him with a huff, though quickly noticed that something was off when Alex slid down against the wall and burried his head in his hands.

“You okay?” There was actual _worry_ in the D-Code's voice.

“No”, the Runner moaned. “Something...something's _wrong_.” Like something inside of him that went into a completely different direction than it _should_.  
...The metal pieces he had gathered over the course of the years. Those that helped him reading the magnetic field- and which were currently running haywire. 

It had only happened once before, and not with that kind of vengeance, because back then it had only been him, not him and most of the city worth of Blacklight that transferred information straight into his brain.  
But the symptoms were the same.

And they said that the Beast was nearby.

“Fuck”, Alex clambered back to his feet unsteadily, eyes narrowing on the mushroom-shaped cloud rising above the swamp. The Beast had been there, now it _wasn't_ , not after taking a direct hit from a thermonuclear warhead. Yet his instincts screamed at him that it was still _there_. 

It couldn't be. Not even  _he_ would have survived that- back in Manhattan the shockwave alone had turned him into a puddle and the explosion in itself had been muffled by distance and water. Surviving a direct hit with a nuke was quite frankly  _impossible_ .

“What the-” Grayson cut himself off, and Alex glanced into the same direction. He swore his heart stopped right there, because he could see the vortex forming out of nowhere right above the docks.

The bastard  _had_ survived.

Cole and the Wisemen were probably still over there.

Alex snarled low in his throat and jabbed his hand into his chest, yanking the jury-rigged strength meter from his Biomass to flip it over to the D-Code. “Hold on to that and get out of range!  _Now_ !”

The other man was probably trying to argue, but Alex didn't listen- his body fell apart and his consciousness blinked out for a split second, only to reform across the city and near the docks within a heartbeat.

He  _felt_ the air beginning to burn, and knew he had no more time. He knew Dana was outside of the city with Heller and Nix, and Kuo was at the other side of the area, plus being a Conduit would protect her- just like Cole, though he was too close to the Beast. The Wisemen and Dunbar were the only vulnerable here, and the only ones he actually cared for- only they seemed to be unaware of him or the danger that crept up on them. Alex slammed his hand against the floor and forced the Biomass there to erupt in massive chitinous shields between the group and the vortex, drawing attention- the Wisemen, Dunbar and Cole stopped abruptly, eyes wide, though they didn't get to say anything when Alex's tentacles lashed out and grabbed all of them at once, only to drag them closer to himself while he instantly grew his Armor.

Their colorful curses and swears at his rough handling were drowned out by the wordless roar of fire when the vortex exploded. The shockwave was so immense, it ripped into the shield, tearing away at its surface. While some of the kinetic energy got absorbed, a lot of it simply continued to travel around and  _through_ the wall, smashing into them with luckily a little less energy than it originally had- but further away the truck and street got demolished badly. Alex swore as he tried to reinforce the shield and increase its size to protect them better as much as he could, but most of the mass got burned away before he even finished adding to it. 

It was just like the explosion in Empire, though this time he had no choice but take it point-blank, and he refused to back down. His enraged snarl however was drowned out in the superheated air around them-

And just as sudden as it began it was  _over_ .

Alex blinked, but didn't dare to move. His whole body felt burnt, but slowly repairing itself despite the screaming agony-   
Everything was silent. The Wisemen, still very much lucid if windswept, stared at nothing in particular. They were way too tense to speak, though he saw captain Santos mouth something to the Specialist, even while she was fruitlessly tugging at the tentacles binding her and the others.  _“Is it over?”_

The blast, yes, everything else? Alex could already  _feel_ the skin beneath his charred Armor squirm, and instantly realized it was because the magnetic field around them was currently blown apart and his receptors were idly spinning around to find it again.

Right now, they were  _inside_ a cloud of active Ray Field Energy- and even though clouds like that dispersed quickly, it was still all around them, easily slipping through his shield and affecting every living thing nearby.

He wondered if it affected him too. It had, the last time.

The next moment he remembered to ease up a little- his hold on the others probably caused some livid bruises already, though maybe he shouldn't add broken bones to it? He could hear the soldiers grumble, and felt Cole's superior strength straining against the steel-like bonds, when the ground shook.

Alex ducked, his own Biomass hammering in his ears as he realized the shaking wasn't just something collapsing, or an earthquake following a massive explosion- it were  _steps_ . Giant steps, made by giant feet-  
He froze when the Beast casually walked around his shield and into his line of sight. It too paused just as it set its eyes on him and the group of humans around him- and time seemed to stop. 

He couldn't fight this, had never been able to. He was the strongest thing around, but even he couldn't battle a living explosion. It made him feel like a rat staring in the face of a massive predator, small, useless, weak-  
But rats can  _bite_ .

Alex hissed and his Armor shifted, claws increasing in length as spikes and biolumniscent spots began appearing all over his surface. At the same time, the biomass shield he created twisted along with him, breaking into long stripes and lowering themselves over the Wisemen like giant fingers. He had to get them away from here, had to fight the Beast long enough for Cole to recover, had to stop it until the RFI was finished-

The Beast rumbled low in its chest once, and Alex replied with a snarl, though then it simply turned and just...walked away.

Vanished from his field of view, and then from his field of  _view_ .

And New Marais was  _still there_ .

* * *

Everything had happened way too fast. One moment he and his team were celebrating their apparent victory over the Beast, when the next second the 'apparent' turned around, bit them in the ass and forced them to flee.

Because this Bastard had survived a point-blank hit by a Thermonuclear Warhead. It had literally swallowed a fucking nuke and kept on going.

Cross hadn't even been able to comprehend all of this when Mercer appeared out of nowhere and just went crazy. All of it happened so fast- there were tentacles, and suddenly there was something like a Hive, and Cross swore under his breath when the Runner grabbed all of them and yanked them closer. Like he was when consuming his victims-

But they remained alive, because Mercer  _protected_ them against the explosion that followed, shielded them with his own body. He could smell the biomass cook under the extreme temperatures, saw and heard it breaking apart. Cross briefly wondered what would give in first: The shockwave from the explosion, or Blacklight?

The shockwave, it was, just mere moments later. Still, the kinetic energy had hit them all hard, and the man swore he could hear his bones grind against each other. Santos was the first to try and struggle free, but her attempts stopped when Mercer tensed again and the Beast made its re-appearance.

Cross inhaled involuntarily, ice running down his spine.   
He had never seen it before in person, only from aerial images and grainy video clips.

Nothing could have prepared him for the terror that crept through his body as he stared at the giant human entity that seemed to be completely made of lava and flames.

Like Satan himself had come to Earth. (okay, so he was getting a bit poetic on that one, but at that point he probably had a concussion)

Mercer had puffed up, was yowling at the damn thing like a cat, and the shield he had created lowered itself over them like a cage- Cross's heart did another skip when he realized that if either would lose their cool, the Wisemen would be in the crossfire. It was a risk of their job, but they were supposed to get their shit wrecked by infections, not  _Satan_ .

Against infections they had a fighting chance, at least.

The stench of burnt flesh and ozone stung his nose, and he snapped his head around to see MacGrath in a similar state as Mercer was, minus the puffing and yowling, though he had his lightning out and was struggling against the steel-like bonds in an attempt to get at the Beast.

For a moment the Specialist wondered just how short-sighted these guys were- according to what he knew they already got their asses handed to them by the Beast, and still they were eager for Round Two.

The Beast obviously wasn't, because it turned and walked away, without touching either of them.  
MacGrath would have liked to jump up and follow immediately (again making Cross question his sense of survival), though Mercer wouldn't let him go. The other Wisemen neither, by the way, and Cross distinctly felt his chest cave in from how hard he was grabbing them.

Idiot didn't even realize it.

_Fuck this_

The tentacles grabbing him were softer than those holding on MacGrath, and lacked armor. Cross managed to wrestle his knife free and jab it down into the limb- it squirmed and began to loosen-

Right up until they were yanked off violently and suddenly so he could  _breathe_ again. His ribs still protested when he scrambled to his feet, eyes focusing on Captain Grayson currently wrestling the Runner into a headlock. Alone the fact the other didn't react much more than being baffled by this and letting go of the Wisemen in the process, spoke stories of how frazzled he was currently.

Right up until he seemed to realize it and began squirming with a low growl, then started outright complaining when the D-Code didn't loosen his hold.

Cross finally got to his feet, approaching him. “You back then?” His answer was a growl. The Specialist shook his head. “Next time try to  _not_ crush to death those you want to protect.” He was pretty sure his ribs were creaking again. He exhaled once. “Still...thank you.”

That got attention. Mercer's head snapped up, and despite the Armor Cross could see the surprised expression on his face. “You just saved my team from being reduced to ashes.” He would have done so without thinking for Dana, though Cross had the feeling she was out of the range anyways. If Mercer came  _here_ instead of going to her, then she was secure.

Was more than could be said about the city in itself, however, because the last time he'd seen the Beast appear after being blown apart, Empire City ended up a crater.

It looked like he and the team, and the few Conduits, were probably the only survivors left. The Beast was gone, likely heading further towards New Orleans and Baton Rouge.   
And Blackwatch's finest couldn't even slow it down.  _Fuck_ .

“Sir?” Santos's voice was rather breathless. “You need to look.”

Look? At what? The evidence that he fucked up? Cross grunted and walked around the burnt Biomass shields- and froze.

New Marais was still there.

* * *

Cole didn't believe it- the Beast had spared them. Had spared the city.

Why? Where they really so hilariously out of its league it just decided to skip Round Two and simply going to continue destroying one city after the other?

Then why was New Marais still there? And why walk here then in the first place? Alex had been under the impression that it was going to want to face  _him_ . Now it  _didn't_ , and it worried him.

Or...maybe it  _wanted_ to meet him? Just him, face-to-face? But there had been too many trigger-happy people around, so it postponed their meeting.

If that was the case...what was he supposed to do? Follow after it? Have that meeting? Or just...head into the other direction as quickly as possible?

Wouldn't it destroy the city then?

He grit his teeth. He couldn't allow this. He turned to Alex, who finally managed to free himself from the Supersoldier and was just staring at nothing in particular.

“Hey, you seen where the Beast went?”

His voice startled him briefly, though he snapped his focus towards him quickly, frowning. “Gas Works. Or, at least it vanished there. Can't tell you more, have no eyes there.”

“Good enough.” Gas Works was doable. “I have to get there. Have to find it again.”

That got his attention, and Alex bristled. “What for? You just barely withstood  _this_ meeting, and you already want to go back for seconds?”

“I have to”, the Conduit growled. “There has to be a _reason_ why it came here, and didn't destroy the city. Because it wanted to come to _me_. You remember? The Beast had been after Kessler, and only because he kept running it destroyed everything he ever cared about.” Cole grit his teeth so hard, his jaw hurt. “And I can't allow this to happen. So I will go look for it.”

“It could kill you.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. We won't know until we try it, right?” He shook his head. “And if it kills me and leaves you guys alone, you'll have a fighting chance then.”

It seemed to alert the Runner, because his head snapped up and his eyes narrowed. “Don't you talk about sacrificing yourself.”

Cole lifted his hands in a placating manner. “Just considering all possibilities. But it would fit, won't it?”

Alex bristled once more, before slumping his shoulders. “Yeah, I guess. Still, I don't like it.”

“Believe me, me neither. But we have to be ready for that outcome.” he blinked, taking in the rather pale and washed-out appearance of the other. “What about you? You getting sick again?”

“I don't think so”, Alex shook his head. “Felt like shit after Empire, now I'm just kind of sore.”

“So, now what?”

Alex glanced at the Blackwatch specters, brows furrowing. “I have to get something back, and go look whether I can find a Blast Shard. I want you to get Kuo, and meet me at the train hideout. I...want to check something.”

“Shouldn't you be looking for Dana?”

“She's fine. Heller's with her, and he will bring her and Nix along.”

“That's...good to hear.” Cole nodded to himself, then glanced over to where Zeke was still between the soldiers and apparently making friends again. “I'll go and look for Kuo, and check whether I can switch the energy back on in Gas Works. 'Cause we need to go to Gas Works next, right?”

Alex made a face. “You sure you're up to it?”

Cole sighed. “Not really, but I know right now I am a bit too worked up to go to sleep. So...let me do this, and once I get back to you guys, I'll take a nap. I mean, the Beast's here, and the city is too, so I guess we have the chance to take a breather first.”

“Right”, Alex inclined his head. “If it doesn't kill us while our guard is down.”

“It won't”, Cole's brows furrowed. “Because it wouldn't make _sense_.” Why come here, ignore all the other cities, just to vanish? He was pretty sure the Beast had wanted to meet him. Was still attempting to, probably.

He would see it again before everything came to a head, he was sure of it. So he waved at Alex and Zeke, and started walking towards the Gas Works. He plucked his phone from the strap of his bag, and paused briefly when he noticed that the energy was off. Probably the nuke that shut it down, or maybe the Beast. He snorted and sent a small discharge into it to power it up again- and cringed back at the message that he missed a few calls.

All from Kuo.

He tapped her number and let it ring, and she answered almost immediately.  _“Cole?! Oh my God! We've seen the blast- what happened?!”_

He grimaced, thinking for a moment what to answer. Colonel Blackwatch wanted to put the blame on Bertrand, but this was  _Kuo_ . She probably deserved the truth? 

What if somebody was listening? Cole thought about it for a split second, then settled for not outright lying, but leaving out the facts. “Bertrand got a nuke. Used it against the Beast.”

She inhaled once.  _“Shit. Bertrand?”_

“Still on the loose. And”, he steeled himself. “And the Beast's not gone either.”

“ _Cole...what do you mean?”_

He sighed. “It took a  _nuke_ to the face. Didn't seem to care about it, because it kind of blew up the docks. With me and Zeke and Colonel Blackwatch's team in it.”

“ _Shit”_

“Alex took the blow, protected us from getting fried. Problem is, the Beast's in New Marais now.”

He heard her swear. Kuo never swore, but now she did with an intensity that actually scared him. And probably Laroche too, because Cole could hear him curse in the background.

“ _Fuck. Why are we still here then?”_

“No idea. Could be it is waiting for something. But Kuo- this is a chance. You understand? We have time, and we can figure something out!”

“ _I- I don't really see a silver lining there, Cole.”_

“We are still _here_ , and the Beast is too. We are still alive, and the city is too- something is going on. I think if we can stall this bastard, then maybe we'll have a chance to finish with the Blast Cores.”

“ _That's asking for a lot of maybes, Cole.”_

“I know. But somehow it feels _right_ ”, he ran his hand over his scalp. “Listen, the thing with Kessler? He was hunted to the end of his days because he didn't stop running away. I won't make the same mistake. I won't run. Something will be different here. I _feel_ it.”

“ _...And I believe you”_ , she sighed audibly. _“Is there something you need me to do?”_

“Alex wanted us back at the train. I'll just switch the energy in Gas Works back on, then I'll come along too.”

“ _So I have some time”_ , her voice cut off as she was talking to somebody in the background. _“I'll make sure Laroche and his men don't wet their pants, then I'll head over. Be careful, however. Bertrand's running desperate, there's no telling what he might do.”_

“I always am. See you.”

“ _See you too.”_

He cut the connection and closed his eyes, sending out a pulse of energy. He could still feel the distortion left behind by the Beast, but it was fading already. Beneath those disturbed layers, he could sense New Marais's energy grid in the closer vicinity. He could sense the hole in the Gas Works, and the focus points he needed to activate.

In short, he knew where the distributors were. Good, he would need this. Cole grunted once and headed for the closest activated one, digging his fingers into the metal surrounding it, electrocuting himself.

He exhaled and closed his eyes, letting his focus spread away from him and through the energy when he fired it blindly into the direction of the closest hole.

He found something strange on the way, something...like a human body. But  _wrong_ . Those were humans with a Conduit's powers copied to them.  
_Vermaak_ .

Cole felt anger well up inside of him. They were the reason Kuo had suffered, and they were the reason the people of Flood Town suffered now too.   
With a mental flick, he directed the Tesla Missile towards the man and just felt the impact before the guy disappeared from his radar. Cole blinked, his focus breaking for a moment and the missile vanished in a static crackle.

Huh. He just took out a dude without being close-by.

Okay, he could work with that. With a feral grin, he turned his attention back towards the distributor and fired off another Tesla Missile, since the last one stopped existing. There was still much left to do.

* * *

Cole had quickly realized that the Gas Works were firmly in control of the Vermaak idiots. In some places he had to focus to allow the Tesla Missile to crash through thick sheets of ice in order to reach the distributors. In some other places he had to take out dozens of men first.

That was something he learnt quickly too- the 'normal' grunts were fewer in number. Instead, he mainly faced heavier armed guys and those with the Ice Armor. Neither felt like a real person anymore. They were  _off_ , the energy streams inside of them kind of...washed out. Like a river emptying itself into a swamp.

They also shattered when he defeated them.

Kuo had told him of those. Her powers actually killed them and turned them into ice-coated corpses that still walked around, kept alive by the very thing that took their lives. Made them a lot like Mr. Freeze, he figured. Only there were a lot of Mr. Freezes, and they didn't need a suit to keep their sub-zero metabolism running. Kuo's powers were enough to keep them that way.

Maybe he felt a little sorry for them, but when they started shooting him as he entered the oil-and-shipping-complex that made up for most of Bertrand's income, his feelings changed. These guys were assholes, and dangerous ones to boot.

He could take them, lightning being stronger than ice at any rate, though he couldn't help but think briefly about calling for assistance.

He didn't, however. It wasn't so bad, and while these guys employed military tactics and equipment, the Gas Works offered enough sources of energy and cover for him to push through.  
Plus, Nix's fire was highly effective. He experimented on his grenades, added ice or fire to them, then altered their structure so they adhered themselves via static cling to the Vermaak idiots before exploding.

It was  _beautiful_ .

But there was still something that sat wrong with Cole. Several of the guys he beat up yelled nonsense. Some of that nonsense was 'We will be whole again!', and he stopped to think about it.  
Because these men- they never chose to be turned into those beings. They had been lied to, trapped and experimented on, much like Kuo. However, unlike Kuo, these guys took out their anger on the innocent civilians- not even the Militia, and that he could have understood- but all they seemingly wanted to do was to stop the decay of their bodies so they would be able to continue using their powers in order to gain an edge over the innocent civilians, act out their power fantasies and establish their superiority.

Which put them to the top of his shit-list. With only Bertrand above them.

He let go of the Distributor once he felt the impact of the Tesla Missile into the last deactivated station, and cracked his neck to head over there and check up on it. The last he had finished had been old, and as such not very willing to start up, so he had been forced to fix it manually. He figured this one would be similar.

He stopped on his way for a moment to look up at the giant tower of ice. He knew the Ice Freaks were around here, and they were protecting this construction, but since they weren't attacking him, Cole let them be for now.

He was too tired to deal with them. Had been since the Blast, but hadn't noticed it. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep for a few hours, because he felt like shit. He swore his batteries weren't as full as they used to be either.

Just that one distributor, and he would go home.

He found his target under an underpass, dragged himself closer while yawning once and blinking owlishly at the machine. Damn hunk wasn't running, but at the very least, it was online. With a sigh, Cole lifted his hand to zap it and start it that way.

The hollow shriek of metal startled him and he nearly jumped out of his skin, whirling- and realizing that massive grates creaked into place so fast, he couldn't get away in time. He leapt away from the one slamming into the ground and locking in place towards what he hoped was an escape route- but he had to halt sharply and try diving into the third direction, only to be trapped there too. He didn't even attempt to reach the remaining closing routes.

_Shit_

Cole groaned out, dropping his head against the iron bars cutting him off from the outside.  
Great. Metal cages were his mortal enemy. Zeke once joked that trapping him beneath a turned-over shopping cart would be enough to stop him in his tracks. Faraday's cage in a nutshell.

“Mr. MacGrath”, his back crawled and he spun on his heel, eyes narrowing on the leering face of Bertrand. The millionaire's smirk was _oozing_ contempt. “Like our new security system?” Cole's face set into a scowl as the millionaire just waved his hand into the direction of the metal bars. “It's nothing special, but it will stop your lightning.” Then he motioned to the two mooks who accompanied him. “Now bullets, that is another story.”

Cole growled in his throat. “So, you're going to shoot me now? Why don't you then? Why that elaborate mousetrap?” And  _why_ hadn't he asked for support? God,  _anybody_ would have been nice to hang with. Kuo, or Nix, or Heller, or Alex, or Colonel Blackwatch even.

Bertrand was obviously in good mood, though that was only skin-deep. He was  _highly_ displeased with him. “I've seen the way the wind's blowing”, he told him, “Been watching my authority bleed away ever since you got here.”

Cole scoffed. “Sure. It was only a matter of time, Bertrand, I just sped it up.”

The man scowled at being interrupted. “You certainly did more than that. You brought the Beast here, and now it is in New Marais. And I- I can not stop this thing myself.” Cole blinked when Bertrand added “But together- together we'd be heroes.”

“You for real?” He spat. “No really, you got some hits to the head? Why in the Hell would _I_ want to work with _you_? Your guys keep shooting me and the people you said you want to protect, you killed Wolfe _and_ you kidnapped and _tortured Kuo_!” Cole's teeth were bared and lightning ran across his arms and shoulders. “Anything you offer me- it's all a lie, Bertrand. I already _have_ heavy hitters that can distract the Beast, and I trust them. I don't trust you. I _know_ you would stab me in the back as soon you find the right moment!” He grit his teeth. “I give you one chance only- either you let me out and get the Hell out of my way, or you will regret it.”

Bertrand's eyes narrowed. “I would say I expected this, but sadly...” He trailed off. “When you're not with me, you're against me.” Then he stepped back and spread his arms. “Boys.”

Cole instantly dove behind the distributor when the shooting started. He could have groveled, played along, but Bertrand was just  _repulsive_ , and he really couldn't find it in himself to be  _nice_ to this piece of human refuse.

Though...now bullets were flying like homicidal hornets and Cole grit his teeth when he heard the shriek of metal. He  _couldn't_ take cover behind the distributor, or else it would get damaged too much and blow up.

Bertrand's voice was drowned out by the cracks of the gunshots, but still clearly audible. “Conduits like you have no place in the natural order, MacGrath. If you had helped me with my mission, God may have forgiven you for what you are. But now you will head for Damnation that you so richly deserve!”

_That guy serious?_ Cole ducked and sprinted towards a support column to hide behind, wincing when concrete was chipped off and bit into his cheek. 

“Nice work, boys”, Bertrand's voice was starting to leave. “Make sure nobody finds the body.”

_Shit._ He really should call for support. He yanked his phone free and mashed down redial, while ducking behind the concrete to reduce the viable target area.

Kuo answered almost immediately.  _“Cole? Are you being shot at?”_

He grimaced when another shard of concrete chipped off and bounced off his ear. “Kind of. I, uh...got myself into a situation. Would be nice if you could, I don't know, come here and get me out?”

A bullet whizzed past his ear, and he noticed one of the guys changing his angle to shoot him from a different position. “Now would be good. Place is Gas Works, under an underpass!”, Cole yelped, diving out of the way.

“ _I'm on it!”_

Something exploded in the background, and the two Militia idiots whirled in alarm. Cole instantly rushed to the front, hoping to catch them by surprise- he could probably wrench his arms through the bars and zap them like that- though he stopped when he saw Zeke barreling towards one of them and tackle into him with enough force to send him sprawling. The other guy was too stunned by the events, so he neither paid attention, nor did he shoot Zeke. Cole instantly lunged towards him since he stood closer to the cage, and seized his head to slam him with full force against the bars to knock him out cold.

Zeke took care of the other guy, kicking him hard against the jaw to shut him up. Cole exhaled and straightened his back, tapping his phone his phone while he was at it. “Thanks, Kuo, but you can go back to what you have been doing before. Zeke just pulled my ass out of the fire.”

“ _I heard that. So...see you at the train, then?”_

“Yeah, see you.”

Cole cut the connection while Zeke puffed out his chest. “Haha! You see that? Zeke Dunbar: Man of Action!”

He couldn't help but grin. “Don't you mean 'Ezekiel Jebediah Dunbar: Living Bowling Ball and Fierce Defender of his Friends'?”

Zeke blinked. “Yeah, no. Titles need to be short and sweet, brother.” He tapped his finger against his hip and a grin slowly began spreading on his face. “See? A turned-over shopping cart is enough to stop you. I kept sayin' it.”

Cole groaned. “Yeah, but this isn't a shopping cart. Now, will you please look for a release switch or something, to get me out of here?”

Zeke blinked. “Yeah, right. Sorry. Hold on, I'll go look.” He vanished briefly from his line of sight, then a moment later the grates slid upwards. When Cole stepped out a little hastily from the trap, Zeke appeared again. “You okay?”

Cole grunted and said on a divider. “Guess so.” He furrowed his brows. “You always have my back”, he pointed out like it came to his realization just now. “You  _always_ had my back”, he repeated. “No matter how I treated you. Back in Empire, when David and Moya were after my ass and I blamed you for what happened. After that, when you made my Amp to help me fight- and I don't think I thanked you. Now in New Marais, when I spend most of my time with Nix and Kuo and Alex and ignore you mostly-”

Zeke snorted, clapping his hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, but I was also an idiot back in Empire, so forget it, man.”

“Doesn't excuse me being an ass”, the Conduit pointed out. “But you've always been there, helped me through all of this. You even went so far to sneak into the Militia to supply us with information, at the risk of your own health. Now this whole shit with the nuke- you could have _died_ , Zeke. And still you did it.”

Zeke sighed and took off his shades, setting his eyes on Cole's face. “Look, I don't call you 'brother' because I like the way it sounds. You are my family, have been ever since we came to Empire.” He beamed at him, and Cole felt his own lips quirk up. “And about us fightin'- don't forget that siblings only have two modes- 'I would hide bodies with you' and 'Don't even  _breathe_ in my direction'. Guess we hit the rough patch, but got through it.”

Cole winced. “Guess so”. He yawned again. Zeke eyed him for a moment.

“Think we should turn in?”

“Yeah, that's a good idea”, Cole agreed. “Tomorrow we can look what to do. But right now I guess my brain's too fried to come up with another idea.”

“That the reason you didn't use your shield?”

Cole blinked. Right. He had a shield. He could have just called it up and held it in front of his body instead of diving out of sight like an idiot. He ran his palm down his face. “I forgot I had one”, he admitted. “Too tired.”

Zeke grinned. “Like a bike then? You can't stand on your own because you're 'two tired', right?”

Cole groaned.

* * *

The Hive was in uproar. Heller grimaced when they returned to the city of New Marais. There were screams all around him, in the distance, nearby, inside his head. It was maddening, but like an old radio interlaced with so much static, he couldn't grasp a single clear thought.

“Shit”, Dana groaned as they entered the damaged outskirts of the city. “It's worse than I thought.”

Heller glanced at the destroyed windows, broken trees and toppled street signs. “This payload's been small, too”, he muttered. “Destruction could have been a lot more had it been closer to the city, or larger.”

“Wos idea was dis?” Nix snapped. “Mah place is gone!”

“Technically, it was Bertrand's”, Heller pointed out as they picked their way through rubble and twisted metal towards the train yard and their train hideout. “I mean, why the fuck would somebody want to have a nuke if not to actually _use_ it?”

“But Bertrand didn't fire it”, Dana questioned. “No?”

“MacGrath and Dunbar did. On Cross's orders.”

“Of course. Fucking Blackwatch just _had_ to nuke _something_.” Dana ran her hand through her hair so it stood away from her head in even wilder spikes. “Fuck, tell me this was enough.”

“I can tell you”, Heller grunted, “But that would be a lie. That bastard fucking _survived_. And it's now in the city.”

Dana gaped at him. “Fuck”

“Yeah, I know”, Heller shook his head. “However, there's the problem. I mean, if _I_ got nuked and would have survived, I would march towards the guy who had the finger on the button and maul the shit out of them. The Beast _did not_ , and let's not forget it is the same thing that basically mauled every other city on the way here for shit and giggles.”

“So it wants something. From Cole?”

“To gloat?” Nix suggested at the same time.

“Maybe”, Heller shook his head. “Mercer got some kind of idea. Though I just can't grasp a single clear thought. Hive's all worked up by this.” It had never been like this before. Blacklight had always kept a cool head, even back in Manhattan when it got pissed off the voices were still clear. Now it was like all of them pulled into different directions with different speeds and urgency. And he was right in the middle of this twister.

“Shit”, Dana sighed again. “Think he's going to shut down again, like he did before we came here?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Heller shook his head. “Can't say. Guess we'll see what the idea was once we get there.” He cut himself off, eyes narrowing on the few ice soldiers patrolling a nearby street. “Through them, or evade them?”

“Trou dem”, Nix growled, flames already springing to life along her arms. “A gotta break sometin'.” She darted to the front without waiting for anyone, colliding with the first guys with enough force to throw him across the street and into a wall. Heller set after her immediately, grabbing a heavier armed man and simply punching through his sternum. Guy shattered on contact.

Huh. The day before most guys collapsed when he did that. Now they broke apart like, well, ice. He continued testing it by jumping a few more men, most of them breaking, though a few remained in relatively completeness.

“De 'ell?” Nix stared at a body of one of the guys she assaulted and who subsequently got melted into a half-puddle. “Was is wrong wit' dem?”

“No idea”, Heller admitted as he brushed frost off his pant legs.

“Their bodies can't deal with the Conduit powers, maybe?” Dana suggested. “I mean, Conduits get a special fancy gene, get stronger when exposed to Ray Fields, while humans get sick and die, right?” She gestured to the mercs around them. “This looks the same. Only, instead of getting sick, they pull a Mr. Freeze and turn into ice-covered corpses.”

“Meaning the longer they remain that way, the more they will turn into ice?”

“Most likely.” Dana seemed thoughtful. “Guess this is why they are looking for a Blast Core. Maybe something went wrong when Cole and Alex plucked Kuo out of there, and the process didn't get finished? Maybe they're trying to finish it correctly?”

Seemed likely. “Which means”, Dana continued, “We have to make sure  _we_ get the Blast Cores instead and keep Kuo away from these guys. Could be they will target her next.”

Nix snorted.  _“Reine des Glaces_ can look afta 'erself, no? She's stronger dan dem.”

“She is, but we should tell her regardless. A little warning can go far.”

“Maybe”, the Conduit admitted with a bow of her head. “Still 'aff to get Bertrand, too.”

“Oh, he won't escape”, Heller snorted. “He won't get out of Gas Works.” Mercer had this place surrounded, Laroche's men were keeping an eye on the waterways, Blackwatch had the man on their list of targets, and the energy was back online, too. The noose was tightening. 

“He's a dead man walking. Tomorrow or maybe the day after that. Not any longer.”

“'ope so.”

When they reached the train hideout without encountering any more resistance, MacGrath and Dunbar approached too, both looking windswept and exhausted. Kuo seemed to be in a better condition, though she more or less jumped MacGrath to check him over for injuries. Heller could see bullet holes and dried blood on his shirt, knew instantly he had been shot at. Apparently Bertrand had lured him into a trap and tried to have him killed.

Though, interestingly, according to the kid Bertrand had theorized that he could have stopped the Beast with his help. Probably only stalled, but the idea was there- it  _was_ possible to fight this thing face-to-face and at least slow it down.

And they had someone who could endure a whole lot of punishment before he had to give up.

Heller just hoped he knew what the fuck he was doing, because from what he realized so far, Mercer himself didn't have much of an idea.

He paused, blinking. “Is that your plan?” He asked a moment later. “Just winging it?”

Mercer stopped fiddling with what looked like a strength meter. “Mostly. Currently I have a bunch of ideas whirling around inside my head, all of them ending up worse than the other.” He grunted. “Trying to keep them separated is nearly impossible with all the noise in the city-”

“You mean the shit you steered yourself into?” Heller snorted. “Was your own damn fault.”

“I know”, Mercer sighed. “I know, okay? It's just...I _know_ with the RFI we can stop the Beast. But, there are so many parts I haven't considered _yet_ , and time's running out-”

“Okay, take a deep breathe first”, Heller cut him off. “You can't consider _every_ possibility, you know. You just need to go with what you feel is the best way. Everything else is just a distraction.” Mercer blinked and glanced at him, brows furrowed. “I know what I said”, Heller scoffed. “And I know what it means. We need to keep that bastard busy, and busy a lot. You can buy us time.”

“It's playing awfully loose with the lives of everybody”, Mercer reminded him, Heller grit his teeth and shook his head. “I am aware of the consequences. But in this case...we don't have much choice. Do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ways to defeat Cole:  
> -A Water Hose  
> -Standing next to a lamp post  
> -Sitting under a turned-over shopping cart  
> Doesn't work for close-up combat, however
> 
> Also, whoever says that the Vermaak dudes can be redeemed- never forget they have been literal Neo-Nazis before being turned into Ice Freaks (Vermaak 88- 'Wehrmacht HH', Heil Hitler). After being turned into Ice Freaks, they literally assaulted and drove out civilians from Flood Town. If they were redeemable, they wouldn't have done so. In other words, let's turn them into crushed ice, they didn't deserve any better.
> 
> Also fixed the meeting with Bertrand, it made no sense in-game. But I wonder just how delusioned that guy really is. Or is it just a show he puts up when around his Militia idiots?


	23. Forced Conduit

“ _A nuke. Really?!”_

“Wasn't my fault. Was just a bit too slow to prevent that asshole from launching it.”

“ _Shit, Bobby, are you alright?”_

“We've been out of the Fallout Zone. Payload wasn't big enough to reach us, but the shockwave took us by surprise. I'm a little sore, but fine otherwise.”

“ _I was worried sick when the news said that this thing is in New Marais.”_

“That's what worries me too. There's no saying when it decides it had enough and just blows the shit out of us.”

“ _Without any warning, right?”_

“It did, in the past. Chances are it will do so again. However, I won't leave here. I was told to hunt that bastard, and I will do so.”

“ _Can't tell you not to.”_

“You're younger than I am, so no, you don't get to tell me what to do.”

“ _Guess so. But Bobby, I think I can help you.”_

“Do tell.”

“ _The man you booted out of his own city is called Bertrand, right? Joseph Bertrand III, if I'm not mistaken.”_

“Yes”

“ _Good. Because we have a common acquaintance. The Governor of Louisiana. Called me just the day before and was complaining about the things your guys uncovered in that train yard.”_

“Wait. It's on the news?”

“ _Yeah, well. What did you expect? Nice pictures of your team going in and raising Hell, though.”_

“Oh for God's sake...Okay, can't be changed now that it is out there. The Governor?”

“ _I think he was drunk. Anyways, if I do some more digging, I think I can uncover some more about Bertrand. How does that sound?”_

“If you don't expose yourself too much.”

“ _Don't worry.”_

“Be careful, David.”

“ _I always am, Bobby.”_

Cross sighed and cut the connection, sliding the non-traceable phone into the innermost pocket of his uniform. He was glad he had risked this talk despite the general communication ban Blackwatch employed. He never liked rules anyways. And speaking to his brother revealed that, apparently, at least Louisiana was made aware of what had happened in New Marais. MacGrath  _had_ a camera with him, and Cross would bet some of Laroche's men had too. Just...Dana had promised to only broadcast it into New Marais, not all of Louisiana.

...Someone probably recorded everything and shot it off to a bigger news agency. Finding that one would be a waste of time now that the cat was out of the sack, so the question they should ask was how they could use the situation to their advantage.

Hopefully Rooks would play along. Or he already blew a gasket.

Cross coughed briefly, frowning at nothing in particular. Ever since he got up, his throat felt like sand paper. Was probably from all that stress he'd been in, plus likely the gas the Behemoth had belched up.  
No time to dwell on this- there was much left to be done.

The Specialist left the main building- it had once been a tourist trap, but Bertrand had it re-purposed as housing for his Militia. Once they were booted out, the Wisemen had moved in and put claim on Fort Phillipe.

He stopped in the kitchen area to grab a glass of water in hopes of soothing his throat, when he caught sight of his D-Code immersed into a deep conversation with Mercer through a window. This in itself was strange- neither man had much love left for the other, and if Mercer wanted to talk to him, he usually did so on his own terms- on some rooftop or over phone, at the very least  _away_ from the other soldiers- but never on the grounds of a base.  
When Cross approached, Grayson snapped to attention and saluted him.

“At ease.” The Colonel glanced at the other. “Why are you here?”

“To check up on you”, the Runner replied after a brief hesitation. “You've been hit hard by explosive shockwaves twice. I guess...” He trailed off for a moment. “How are you?”

Cross blinked, the concern actually taking him by surprise. “A little sore, but it's nothing I didn't have before.”

“That's...that's good to hear.” There was a strange tone in his voice that quickly vanished once his expression settled into a concerned frown. “Because I need you at your best.”

“Oh?” That was something new to hear. Cross just cocked his head, waiting for him to continue.

“The Beast is here. We have both seen it, and we know it won't kill us right about now. Which still doesn't mean it won't eventually do so.”

The D-Code snorted. “You suggesting to shoot at it? It swallowed a nuke, and is still fine.”

“You have to distract it, not defeat it”, Mercer shot back. “I know it will be risky, and I know I can't order you around- but this is the only way I can imagine that will work.”

“Why?” The Specialist frowned deeply. “Like the Captain just said, shooting at it won't work.”

“But it will _stall_ it.” Mercer scowled briefly. “Cole told me that Bertrand assumed he would have been able to stop the Beast with his help. Bertrand doesn't have any powers other than infect other living beings and turn into a giant monster-”

“Both things you can do too, technically.”

“I can stall it, I hope”, Mercer continued without paying attention to him. “No, I _know_ I can stall it. Back in Empire, physical damage put it down for a few hours. And if I manage to put it down again and again, I can buy time. Time you need to find something that actually _works_.”

“Like the RFI?” Cross cocked his head. “You're putting a lot of faith into this thing- and you're certain it'll work?”

The answer was a shrug. “The technology seems to add up”, he explained with a grimace. “Not really sure whether it  _does_ work. But it's Wolfe's work, and until now, everything he made held up to what it promised.”

Cross furrowed his brows. “Good, in that case, Captain, please ready the men.”

“At once, sir, but”, the D-Code cocked his head towards Mercer. “If you can deal with the Beast, and you already have the weapon needed to take it down, what do you need us for?”

“Any reason you're not doing it solo instead?” Cross added. “Lord knows you have enough of Greene inside your head to get a few armies of your own.”

Mercer seemed to find the tips of his shoes suddenly  _very_ interesting. Cross inhaled sharply. “You already did. You already got them ready-”

“That's what I need Blackwatch for”, the Runner admitted in a low tone. “I'm not sure how many additional bodies I can securely control. I need to spread my attention between all of them to avoid accidentally doing something I know I'll regret, but if I have too many bodies, my mind could be spread too thin. Not complete anymore. And if that happens...”

Manhattan would look like a mild case of the sniffles. Cross grimaced. “That's what you need Blackwatch for. To stop  _you_ should you lose control.”

“I know you got new versions of Bloodtox ready, know you will employ this stuff at any given moment. You will do the right thing, Cross.”

“This is asking for a whole lot of trust.”

“I am aware. However, even if I manage to keep myself, there are still going to be heavy casualties, especially since we need this thing subdued long enough until Cole can activate the RFI and just cut it off from its energy source. After that...” He trailed off with a shake of his head.

“After that we either are dead, or have won”, Cross finished. “That's what you want to meet Rooks for?”

“He has the absolute command over Blackwatch and as such, the military forces too. If you could just get me a meeting, I can try to explain it to him, give him whatever he needs as a sign of my good will.”

“Don't make promises you don't want to keep”, Cross grumbled.

“Tough times require tough measures, no? And I thought about it. It _is_ the only way.”

“That's going to be your funeral”, the Specialist sighed. “Very well, I get you your meeting.” He cut himself off and cleared his throat a forcefully, followed by a dry cough. The sort that left him breathless for a short amount of time.

Grayson glanced at him. “You okay, sir?”

He waved the captain off. “I am, just a scratch in my throat.”

“You're not”, Mercer suddenly threw in, his eyes narrow. Cross didn't like the way he was watching him, like he was prey.

“And why shouldn't I?”

“Because you contracted the Plague” 

Cross hissed and straightened his back. “What?”

“I think I can smell it?”

“Don't you fucking make things up.”

“I'm not.” The Runner didn't meet his eyes, and his jaw was set. “But think about it. Yesterday, all of us were inside the cloud. However, I have grown immune since the last time, Cole is a Conduit and as such already has the Genes the Ray Field introduces- but you don't have anything that protects you. You and the Wisemen- you got inside the Ray Field, and your body's currently committing suicide because of it.”

Cross just stared, unblinking.

Then it settled and he felt a little like the ground was yanked out from under his feet. He inhaled once. Fuck. Of  _course_ he contracted the Ray Field Sickness. He's been right next to a live reactor that spewed this stuff everywhere. He had seen the reports, the scans, the data the eggheads had supplied them with- he  _knew_ how this shit worked, knew there was always this lethal cloud around the Beast. He himself had warned MacGrath about it, had told him about the numbers of casualties.

And still, he wouldn't have thought that he would be affected by it- logically, it had only been a question of time, but he would have never believed that it actually affected  _him_ -

The Specialist grunted and shook his head with a scowl. “One week, plus/minus some days before it becomes lethal, right?”

Mercer nodded, frown on his expression.

“Fucking wonderful” He grit his teeth, running his palm down his face.

“Sir?” Grayson seemed worried. “You know the protocol-”

“I know the protocol!” He hissed. “Infected personnel is to be cut off permanently. However, This is not a viral infection _at all_. This is _radiation poisoning._ So I don't give a shit about protocol.”

Mercer glanced at him with a quirked eyebrow, then turned slightly to face the Captain. “He's right. Strictly speaking, the effect is similar to being bitten by a snake, or having eaten some bad shellfish- it's only centered on one carrier, won't spread either. Unlike nuclear radiation, Ray Field Radiation is also very short-lived. Dissipates fast after it is given off. Whoever got affected is not giving off radiation themselves. They are clean to be around, so to speak.”

Cross snorted. “ _If_ we got the Plague”, he pointed out, then lifted his hand to cut Mercer off. “And, even if this thing is real, we got a week or two left- and we still got a bunch of Runners around we need to take down. Captain, get me on the horn with the General.”

Grayson grunted in agreement though it seemed like he wanted to continue arguing, then lumbered off to do as he was told. Mercer just arched an eyebrow puzzled. Cross sighed. “What?”

“Most people I know wouldn't be as casual as you are when faced with a message they're going to be dead the next week.”

“That's because I am ready to die every time I get out of bed”, the Specialist replied. “I don't get how you can question me when you've eaten your fair share of Blackwatch on your own. We are assholes, Mercer, weapons to be used. If we die on the job, we die.” Given, getting torn apart or getting infected by a brain-eating virus was different to drowning in his own lungs, but death was death. “Before that, however, we are supposed to take as many of these things down as possible. Which we will do-”

“You are good at this”, Mercer said simply, and Cross paused, glaring.

“Good at what?”

“Lying to yourself. I know your heart rate spiked, and I know you temperature changed. You are afraid.”

“Of course I am. But I am not some rookie quaking in my boots. I've been on this job long enough already. I will finish my mission, no matter my own feelings in the entire situation.”

“You don't believe me.”

“You can't just drop a bomb like that and expect people to swallow it. Call it denial, but until I see proof, I will do what I am supposed to do.”

Mercer wanted to continue arguing, but the Specialist simply turned around as a sign that this was over. “Now you either come along and wait here for Rooks' arrival, or you can take a hike until he's there.”

“I...think I'll check up on the city again. Rooks will take some time to arrive, and I don't want to sit around and do nothing”, the Runner decided with a sigh. “I guess your guys won't want me to be around either while you tell them of the news-”

“ _Potential_ news. Face it, until now we don't know how large the percentage of people getting affected by the Ray Field is, we can still assume that we aren't among them. Dana and Dunbar had been nearby when the Beast first appeared too, and they are both fine, right?”

“That...”, Mercer trailed off, eyes distant. “You're right.”

“I know I am. Still, I need to tell them about that possibility.”

“Call me once Rooks is present”, Mercer commented and was about to leave, when he stopped with a thoughtful expression “You know, when I realized that you found a nuclear warhead, I think I nearly slapped myself. Because I figured not even Bertrand would have a nuke stowed away so casually. Guess I was mistaken.” He cocked his head. “I was mistaken about a lot of things until now. Could be I'm wrong about the Plague too.”

“Better hope so, or I'd spend the rest of my days yelling at you, and then I'd haunt you.”

Mercer cringed back slightly. “You know I can help you, right? Regardless whether you have contracted the Plague or not. I could infect you. Make you an Evolved. You'd be immune to all diseases, to all poisons, injury, old age-”

“I'll stop you right there”, the Specialist cut him off. “What you're selling, I won't buy. _Ever_. Now scram.”

Was he just exhausted, or was that really a hint of a smile on the Runner's face? “In that case, see you around,  _sir._ ”

* * *

Cole was bent over a small table outside of their train hideout, frowning at the street map they had used back when they first arrived in the city. Most of the remarks 'Militia' had been crossed out and replaced for 'clear'. Which only left the Gas Works as possible places where Blast Cores were.   
He didn't however know where to look, and with that place overrun by Ice Freaks, just starting to look was maybe not the wisest choice. Zeke had promised he'd check up on a lead, while Nix and Kuo had left to contact Laroche and see whether there was any damage from the fallout.

Well, it was mostly Kuo who was wanted to do that, but she dragged Nix along to keep her off Zeke's back, since it had been his idea that led to the accidental destruction of her house.

Heller and Dana were the only one left nearby, and they were busy packing up. While they didn't believe that Bertrand would have any manpower left to trash their hideout, they didn't want to risk it at such a critical point in time. Along those line of thoughts, Laroche had offered them a new place to stay, a recently abandoned three-story building at the North of Gas Works- which was maybe not the best position, but given just who they had as guard dog, would be doable. At any rate, they would be perfectly able of keeping the Vermaak under observation and could strike swiftly. All that was left to do was to claim the area.

Cole lifted his head when Zeke galloped towards them with a wide grin on his face.

“Let me guess. From your giddy expression, you've found something”, Dana piped up, looking up from where she was securing her laptop.

“You got it, sister”, Zeke beamed. “I just came back from Laroche!”

“And?”

“One of Bertrand's guys simply walked straight up to them, asked them to contact me. Now get this- it was Mikey, one of my buds on the Militia.”

Figured Zeke would make friends on the force, Cole thought, and remembered Dwight. “And?”

“He asked Laroche to turn a mostly blind eye on him if he spilled some of Bertrand's secrets.”

That got attention. Heller and Dana both stopped what they were doing, eyebrows arched as they looked at Zeke. Cole cocked his head too. “Tell me you got another Blast Core.”

“I got another Blast Core”, Zeke grinned.

Cole pumped his fist. “Shit, yeah. Where?”

“Over at Bertrand's warehouses. He says he'd been there when they moved a safe, and there was somethin' glowin' in it.”

“I'll check it out”, the Conduit decided in an instant and was about to rush off. “See you-”

“Hold it right there”, Heller commented simply, and the younger stopped dead in his tracks. The sergeant glanced at him for a moment, then turned to Zeke. “The Warehouses? It's right in the middle of Vermaak territory, right?”

“Uh, now yes.”

“Good. You stay here with Dana, finish packing up the stuff. We'll be back soon to get it to the new place.”

“Consider it done.”

Cole blinked. “You'll come with me?”

“After yesterday I'm not comfortable to leave you out of sight”, Heller commented. “Lord knows you could have ended up _dead_ , and then we would have needed new Blast Cores and a new Conduit to use the RFI. And we're too close to fuck it up.”

...Right. Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “Guess you're right.”

“Besides”, Heller continued, “I haven't had any fun lately. Might as well get some before this shit blows over.”

Cole just nodded, but he was relieved that the big guy was following after him. He could really need a bullet stopper, to avoid the events of the night before from repeating.   
So yeah.   
Heller? Was a keeper.

The warehouse district was just across the East Bridge of New Marais, just some blocks away from their current location. Cole figured they'd had to repair the bridge once they moved into a new place, as its derelict state meant having to cross the West Bridge at the other side of the city each time they wanted to enter the Gas Works.

“Heller?”

“Mhm?”

Cole pointed at the East Bridge as they passed by it. “Does either of you guys know how to fix a bridge?”

Heller blinked. “You mean, did Mercer eat somebody who would have known?”

“Yeah, 'cause I think it will be hard getting an engineer ready now.” In Empire, there were Roger and Lou. He doubted he would have as much luck here in New Marais.

“Not that I know of, and I know most of what he does”, the Evolved admitted. “And anyways, after that fiasco with Maya's doll house, I doubt my own abilities anyways. Better get somebody whose actual job is to repair bridges.”

Cole slowed down, eyebrows arched. “There's a story behind it, right?”

The other snorted. “I tried putting together a doll house for my daughter, for her birthday. Figured I would manage, given I had the instructions ready. But there was a screw with three ends, and wheels. What kind of doll house has  _wheels_ ?” He shook his head. “Needless to say, I gave it back to the store and got a stuffed animal instead.”

Cole choked, then started laughing at the idea of that giant of a man trying hard to put a doll house together. Heller furrowed his brows after it didn't stop a few moments later. “You finished?”

He wheezed. “Sorry about that, but holy shit, I think I needed that.”

“Guess so”, Heller didn't seem to mind, just cocked his head as they stopped near the end of the East Bridge and faced the warehouse complex that made up most of this area. “Where to?”

“Let's find out”, Cole tapped his phone. “Yo, Zeke. You sure we're going to find the Blast Core here?”

“ _Yeah. Remember that last scene of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'? Warehouse 18-AE belongs to Bertrand, and you know the sayin'. To hide a tree, use a forest, or somethin' like that.”_

“Where did you get that one from?”

“ _Some game, my friend”_ , Zeke sounded very proud of that fact. _“Now, Mikey said Bertrand had the Core hidden there to prevent us from gettin' to it. The crate got a Militia symbol stamped on it.”_

“Huh”, Cole furrowed his brows. “Might as well take a look then.” He cut the connection and glanced at Heller. “18-AE. Anything to beware of?”

“Bunch of hicks”, the Evolved commented as they drew closer. “Strange to see them here after everything that happened, though if they are present, then chances are Bertrand wants the Core back and he still has a few guys loyal to him.”

“Guess so.” Cole tried using his radar pulse, but the corrugated iron sheets making up the walls masked the men's presence unless they were leaning against the supports. “How many?”

“Best guess? About half a dozen. Nothing serious. However...” Heller's expression turned into a slightly demented grin. “How about we show them that we can't be fucked with?”

Cole scratched his head. “Uh, yeah? I mean, kicking ass is already something of the sorts?”

“Correct, but that wasn't my idea.” He carefully rapped his knuckles against the walls. “This stuff is made of steel, right? And it is _magnetic_ , isn't it?” He glanced at the Conduit. “Didn't you have some sort of, oh, I don't know, _magnetic fields_?”

Cole blinked when Heller's words settled, and once they did, he grinned. “I can do that.”   
Might as well try it out. It shouldn't be too different from lifting cars, right? He braced himself and focused for a moment. “Once the wall's clear, take out the idiots.”

Heller smirked. “With pleasure.”

Cole clenched his fists and generated his field of electricity- then yanked his hand back and ripped the metal wall right out of the building to scrunch it into a ball like it was made from paper. 

The hicks inside didn't have much time to realize what was going on before Heller collided with the first one, grabbed him roughly by the throat and threw him into two of his buddies to knock them over. They would be out for a time, and the Evolved already rushed at the other three, seizing the first two guys and lifting them off the floor easily. He held them there for a moment to regard them with an unhinged smirk, then slammed them together to knock them out. 

One guy left, and even though he was obviously terrified, he still scrambled to aim his rifle at Heller. The man just snorted. “I wouldn't do that, if I were you”, he commented simply, subtly jerking his fingers to tell Cole to flip his polarity and shoot the crumpled-up ball straight through the open space of the warehouse to utterly demolish the opposite wall with an ear-splitting crash of metal on metal. The hick paled as both men approached him. “You better get out of here”, Cole told him. “Drop your weapon and your uniform, and never think about it again, and  _maybe_ we'll show some leniency.”

The man jerked his his rifle away like a hot potato, throwing his arms up. “I never really wanted to take part in this”, he squeaked, and ran off. Heller and Cole watched him leave and held their positions for another short moment, before both doubled over laughing.

“Hah! You saw that face? Fucking wonderful!”

“I didn't know scaring the crap out of people was that fun!”

“Yeah, you get to do that a few times more often if you want to. Just remember to never gloat before you are certain you got everything under control.” He clapped his shoulder. “Now come, let's look for that crate.”

Cole nodded and hurried off into one direction, while Heller took to the other side. There were rows upon rows of crates, all in different sizes and shapes, and conditions, so some had badly eroded symbols stamped on. After a few minutes, Cole paused and furrowed his brows, then sent out a Radar Pulse. Zeke said that the Core was inside a safe, and the safe was inside a crate. So all he had to do was to...find a crate that contained more metal than just a few guns, right?

He found several objects nearby that contained metal, and none of them spoke to him. One was a lot of metal, however, so he figured he should start with that. He picked up his voice. “Heller?”

“Mhm?”

“Left of you, maybe six steps. At knee height. See anything?”

The Evolved didn't reply immediately, though Cole heard a low whistle after a short moment. “Crate with Militia symbol. Looks pretty knew.” He heard the grinding of wood on metal, then the crack of wood, and made his way over, finding the other man kneeling in front of a safe. “That you looking for?”

“Will know when we look inside”, Cole shrugged. 

Heller cocked his head, grabbed the door with one hand and steadied the safe with the other- and yanked the door right out with a hollow  _crack_ . 

There was a disappointing lack of purple glow, though Heller didn't seem to be deterred. “Well”, he drawled as he reached inside. “No Core, but a folder.” He flipped it open. Cole furrowed his brows at the words there. “Property deeds”, Heller explained. “Looks like Bertrand owns three more warehouses.”

“So, at least we got the right idea, only the wrong warehouse?”

“Yeah, looks like.” Heller got up and handed the files to Cole, who put them into his bag. “You up for ripping out a few more walls?”

“Hell yeah I am!”

* * *

All things considered, Heller thought, MacGrath was pretty enthusiastic about the whole work. He quickly refined ripping walls out of buildings, and even attempted to disarm his opponents with the same magnetic abilities. Didn't work so well at a distance, but he learnt to circumvent this by getting as close as possible towards the enemy and then just steal their weapons right out of their hands.

The enemy wasn't just Militia anymore either. The second warehouse was filled with bodies and some Vermaak soldiers. They found Blast Shards in the safe there. The third warehouse was again filled with hicks, but they escaped as soon they saw them coming, and tried to set them on fire- However, they didn't expect Heller to tear a hydrant from the floor, or MacGrath freeze most of the area to lower the temperatures until the fire no longer had any energy to burn. The safe was empty though, and Dunbar suggested they'd go home in a defeated tone, because apparently his 'friend' told lies in exchange for leniency.

Heller shook his head. “Nah, there's got to be a reason for all this opposition.”

“He's right”, MacGrath commented. “Like, if it was just Militia it could just be another trap to kill me. But the ice freaks? They're not on Bertrand's pay roll.”

Dunbar hesitantly agreed, and the two were about to continue when Heller stopped the kid with a lifted fist. His attention wasn't on him, however, but rather the distant cracks of gunshots.

“Vermaak fighting Militia”, he grunted. “And the hicks are losing.”

“Which would mean we'd have one problem less, no?” MacGrath questioned, squinting also in the distance. 

“Yeah, but we need to make sure they don't carry the Core off.” If there was one, but these guys weren't fighting for _nothing_. He clapped Cole's shoulder. “Come, we'll sneak up and check things out. It would be a good idea to wait until one group's down. Less problems then.”

“Good idea”, MacGrath agreed and they hurried towards the shooting. The men were distracted, so they didn't notice them coming closer.

Heller grunted once they made their way to the roof, ducked low to avoid detection. “Shit. That's a lot of guys.”

“Yeah. Plan?”

Heller cocked his head, and forced his body to bulk up in the form of Musclemass. “You got a larger distance than I have. Distract them, then I'll go for the clusters. If they scatter, pick them off.”

“Deal” MacGrath got up, clenched his fist briefly- and fired a continuous stream of lightning bolts at a rapid pace at the closest moron. Chaos erupted, and Heller swung himself over the edge and downwards, hitting the floor with the fists first to utterly crater it and throw several men nearby off-balance.

Then he charged in, head ducked between his shoulders as he rammed into the closest group to scatter them. As soon they were apart, MacGrath fired off several bolts of lightning that arched into the sky and curved back towards their targets in sets of three, zapping them to knock them out.

Heller pivoted on his heel and dodged to the side to avoid being shot, then immediately surged towards a group of ice freaks. Shields of frost were thrown up between them, but he smashed through all the same, then grabbed the closest guy to smack him hard into the floor. Respect where it was due- these guys were better equipped both physically and mentally, because they didn't scatter like the Militia did, so Heller helped out by smashing his fists into the ground to fling them away from his position and all over the place. Once their formation was broken, MacGrath swooped in with orbs of lightning and fire that attached themselves to the soldiers and blew up in brilliant sparks, knocking the men flat on their asses.

Somebody fired at Heller, and the Evolved stumbled briefly from the force of impact, then slowly turned to glare at the perpetrator. A group of Militia hicks stared back, and turned as white as sheets when he bared his teeth in a snarl.

The scattered before he even moved, and MacGrath easily picked them off before they could comprehend what was going on. Heller dashed towards the Vermaak next, only for them to dive out of the way with synchronized ice jumps.

He wasn't deterred, just kicked off the floor and right after them, crashing himself into the closest guy with enough force to knock him out of the air and into a pair of his buddies. MacGrath was yelling something, and a massive ball lightning raced directly over Heller's head to collide with one of those Ice-armored guys.

Heller kicked against the air and dived downwards and away from the man, avoiding a series of lethal-looking groundspikes the guy wrenched from the floor.

“Distract him!” MacGrath yelled. Heller just grunted in reply and instantly kicked off the floor again to avoid another wave of ice spikes, through he heard the distinct crash of another metal wall being ripped out of its mounting.  
He altered his trajectory again and slammed his shoulder with full force into the Vermaak heavy, flipped over his shoulder in the same moment and got out of range the very second MacGrath fired another crumpled-up ball of corrugated iron with so much velocity at the guy, he shattered into every direction.

Heller didn't wait for the others to catch themselves, instead rushed back towards the last of the Militia dudes, who screamed and dived out of the way. He was about to make a grab for them, when he froze with the realization that the Vermaak guys were  _not_ shooting anymore. 

“Uh...Heller?” MacGrath landed besides him with a worried expression, though he wasn't looking at him. He was staring across the parking lot, and when Heller turned to look too, he paused.

It was as if a glacier sprouted arms and legs and marched towards them, creating pillars of ice wherever it walked.

“Oh” The Evolved just said. 

MacGrath grimaced. “Oh shit. I always thought Frost Atronachs were smaller.”

“Frost Atronach?”

“Elder Scrolls”, MacGrath swallowed and fashioned a pair of static blades along his wrists. “I don't think I can get through that shell. Ice is water, right? And water's conductive.”

“It can be broken, however”, the Evolved growled. He slammed his fists together. “And besides, I already killed bigger.” The Frost Titan was only half the size of a Goliath. He could take it. “I'll try to get that armor off it. If it is any like the other guys, there's going to be a body beneath. Scorch that one.”

“Got it” MacGrath dashed to the left, Heller took to the center, rushing right towards the titan. The Titan roared at him and threw its arm out, generating a blast of condensed ice. The Evolved kicked off the floor and avoided the attack easily, then he kicked off the air and flung himself towards the creature. At the last second, he spun in mid-air so his heels crashed into the steel-like ice, cracking it in several places and making the Titan stumble back. 

Flaming grenades hit the shell that moment and attached themselves to it, and Heller bounced backwards when they exploded.

The Titan barely reacted towards it, just roared again and flung its arm out to throw a massive ball of ice into the direction of MacGrath. The kid caught the blow with a shockwave and altered the ball's trajectory so it crashed into the floor.

Heller rushed the Titan in that moment, and the massive creature turned to swing its arm wide. The Evolved rolled under the blow and went directly for the Titan's legs, his paws closing around its ankle as he heaved with all strength. The icy cold bit into his system, but he ignored it in favor for straightening his spine- toppling the entire thing easily. It roared and crashed into the floor, where MacGrath greeted it with a wave of frost Groundspikes to the face.

Ice collided with ice with an unholy cracking noise, and the thing reeled and roared again.

“It doesn't speak”, Heller realized. “It's just roaring like an idiot-”

“But...”, MacGrath's eyebrows furrowed as they watched the thing struggle back to its feet. “The other ice freaks can still talk?”

Heller grunted in realization. “That's why they want the Cores. They get stronger the more they grow, but they also lose their minds.”

“Great”

Then both had to dive out of the way to avoid the Titan's ice beam if shot at them from its palm. “Change of plan”, Heller growled. “Let's target its arms first. Rip them off, crush them, whatever.”

“Deal” MacGrath rushed to the side, grabbing and lifting a car with his magnetic field, and just chucking it at the Titan. The second the vehicle crashed into the monster, Heller dived after it and tackled into its shoulder, bounced off and came back down with his heels first again. Didn't really work, and he had to dodge an ice ball again. _Screw this_. He flexed one hand and willed the bones to alter and change, flattening the arm into his Blade within a few moments while also retaining his Musclemass along the rest of his limbs.

Then he pounced again, deliberately targeting the weakened side. MacGrath was taking the thing's attention- his normal lightning bolts ricocheted off its shell, but his grenades stuck to it and blew up, cracking the ice quickly. When Heller wrenched his Blade into its shoulder and just  _twisted_ , the entire arm came loose and fell to the ground heavily.

Like in the smaller Ice heavies, there wasn't much of a body beneath, only ice. Like it had completely replaced the flesh and continued growing. Can't have been pleasant, he thought with a grimace.

The Titan roared and swayed from the loss of balance, and the Evolved instantly bounced off it to attack the other side. MacGrath followed his example and targeted the other arm. Now that they had a little experience, the second arm came off in only half the time.

The Titan roared and swayed, dropping to its knees in a desperate attempt to avoid falling flat on its face again now that it didn't have any limbs left to help itself back upright.

MacGrath charged it, yanking his staff weapon free, leaping upwards to jab the prongs into the upper part of its chest area-

Heller's eyes widened in realization. MacGrath was targeting the thing's  _face plate_ , something he hadn't noticed existing before. He had thought it was just a literal glacier.

There was the hollow crack of ice breaking, and MacGrath stumbled back with a startled expression. Heller was besides him in an instant, brows furrowed into a scowl when he stared at the Titan's exposed face.

Again, it reminded him of a Goliath, with a constantly gaping mouth and wide eyes.

But this thing was still clearly  _human_ , even though its features had been flattened and stretched across what had once been its chest.

“Holy fuck”, Heller hissed. _That_ transformation had probably hurt a lot.  
His body bristled and he grabbed and yanked the kid backwards the second the Titan lurched towards them, its arms suddenly regrowing in a flurry of icy mist.

Its face plate, however, did not, and the stretched face turned into an enraged expression.

MacGrath twisted in his hold and fired a pair of lightning bolt streams directly into its exposed weak point, and the Titan roared and backed off in pain. Heller dropped the Conduit and charged in, his Blade and other hand twisting and turning into Musclemass-enhanced Claws. The second they were finished formed, he leapt up and slammed them with full force into the Titan's face, making it jerk back and scream in pain as he gouged out eyes and drove his talons through the brittle bone into its brain.

It  _shattered_ into mist and shards the moment it died.

Heller hit the floor as MacGrath approached him. “Huh. Self-tidying-up, nice.”

“Guess so.” The Evolved cocked his head and glared at the few remaining Militia and Vermaak members, who had watched the battle in stunned silence. Now that the Titan was gone, however, all of them fled in blind panic.

“And you better remember that one!” MacGrath yelled after them. Then sat down heavily on a low piece of concrete like a sack of potatoes when all air left his lung in a huff. “What an ordeal.”

“It was”, Heller exhaled and just grit his teeth when he forced himself to transform back. His stomach rumbled too, and there was a fine tremor going through his legs, while his skin felt strangely cold.   
Figures. He already had an increased metabolism, but Musclemass cranked his system's output even higher- and he didn't have anything to fuel himself with. He grunted again and pulled the kid back to his feet after a short pause. “Come on. We'll check whether we find the safe, then we'll go to the new place and eat something before I reel over from hypoglycemia.”

“Gesundheit”, the Conduit muttered as they slowly walked to the thoroughly trashed warehouse.   
The safe sat innocently between a few wooden chunks. Heller had to focus this time to yank the door out, but was rewarded by a strong purple glow that immediately washed across the floor the moment the safe was open.

“Blast Core”, MacGrath grinned, reaching in to take the crystal and hold it into the light. He tapped his phone. “Guess what, Zeke?”

“ _Anything good?”_

“We got it”, the Conduit claimed. He dropped the Core into his bag with a surprised noise. “And more even, we got a briefcase. Name on the front says JBIII. Bertrand's, most likely.”

“ _Hell yeah, let's throw a look into it.”_

MacGrath placed it on the safe and flipped the lock open. Heller arched one eyebrow at the folders inside, and moved to take the upper-most to flip through it. “Well, look here”, the Sergeant grumbled in a satisfied manner. “Those Vermaak guys really were designed to be weapons.”

“Weapons?”

“Yeah, see here?” He tapped a few papers. “Contracts about amount of weapons to be delivered, test results, potential buyers, transfer contracts.”

“Boxed supermen”, MacGrath scoffed. “Ready to be shipped out and sold to any warlord with cash. He's gonna start a new arms race all by himself, and everybody will suddenly have own Conduits to play with.” He furrowed his brows. “Think he knew Moya?”

“Jones?” Heller shook his head. “Don't think so. Though I guess power-hungry assholes all think the same.” He growled briefly under his breath. “Fuck, how demented does one have to be to do shit like that? This is biological warfare!”

“It is.” MacGrath took a few pictures from the case that showed Bertrand handing over checks to children's hospitals, or working with the community. “This doesn't fit here either. What's he doing? Trying to buy his way into Heaven?”

“No idea”, Heller scoffed. “And frankly, I don't really care for the reasons some guy might have. I mean, just look around. All those people forced into becoming weapons, all those people he killed, all the damage he's done. I don't care whether he thinks it's been for the greater good, when he's doing so much worse to get to that point.”

“ _Preachin' to the choir, brother”_ , Zeke commented with a hum. _“You guys sound tired though. How about you swing by here, eat something, and take a nap?”_

“Sounds like a plan”, Heller agreed. “You finished moving there, then?”

“ _Laroche and some of his guys came by to help packin' up. We're all set. Got food and everything here.”_

“I like that plan”, MacGrath agreed. “See you soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heller and Cole are both assholes. Confirmed.  
> Also confirmed: Cole could do some serious Magneto-like tricks, if he felt like it, right?
> 
> As for the Vermaak, so obviously there was one dude who was actually friendly, but how should I know? I never actually played inFAMOUS because I don't have a PS and NaughtyDogs just doesn't give a shit about making their games PC-gamer-friendly. Well, maybe we'll get a remastered version one day?  
> Let's just pretend that one guy's already kicked the bucket, or this particular side quest doesn't exist.
> 
> On another note, I once told you you can report any grammatical mistakes to me, and you can still do so, but it would be good if you just told me where exactly that mistake is, so I can avoid it in the future.
> 
> Also, to everybody thinking about telling me how to write and what to include into my own story: You want your own ideas in an inFAMOUS/PROTOTYPE Crossover, write one yourself, because this here is my story.


	24. The Face of Change

Alex had spent most of the time waiting near the Fort, or looking for Laroche's men to eavesdrop on any potential information they could have had- they didn't have any, he learnt quickly, were too busy celebrating their victories and/or giving pain medication to those suffering from the Plague.

Speaking of which, Cross had only called once to tell him that Rooks was en route, and he had coughed twice during that short conversation. Still, when Alex asked him about it, he denied having been affected by the Plague, ignored all symptoms despite  _knowing_ perfectly well that the Runner was correct about the whole situation. And Alex knew it- the coughing had sounded too deep to be superficial, and he had more or less smelled the Plague when he had talked to the Colonel at Fort Phillipe. 

Only Cross didn't care much about it- if Alex broke his legs, Cross would still force himself to finish his mission. Same with dying lungs- as long he was drawing breath, he was going to continue until he could go no more. Stubborn to the end.

It commandeered all of Alex's respect, and frustrated him to no end at the same time, and he suspected it was mostly denial that kept the man going despite everything.  
Denial and him not believing the Runner, either.

Alex figured it was justified-  _He_ wouldn't trust himself most of the time either, so why should somebody who was actually an enemy believe his words?

...Was Cross the enemy?

He wasn't, was he? He was  _family_ .

_Why didn't you infect him then? Turn him into one of us? He would never have to be afraid of death again._

Because Cross told him to leave him alone with it. If Alex had forced it on him, he would have lost his trust- and created an enemy he wouldn't have been able to defeat.

No matter what he wanted to achieve with it, the results would never excuse the methods, and Alex knew a lot about the methods. Remembered two and a half million people who fell victim to Greene's attempt at creating a family.  
If Cross wanted to do it the hard way, they were going to  _do_ it the hard way. If he died because of it- then it had been his decision.

He wasn't  _okay_ with the idea in itself- but if there was no way...

The roof beneath him cratered when Alex stopped abruptly. There  _was_ a way to stop the Plague.

The Plague was caused by Ray Field Energy, the same the Beast and the Ray Sphere gave off on each activation, and it was the same energy that Conduits constantly emitted at low levels.  
And they had a Ray Field  _Inhibitor_ to stop those fields. Alex remembered having read the remark 'Stops the Plague(?)' in Wolfe's work- and until now the man had been right about everything- so the chances were high he was right about this one too.

Ray Field Energy needed the source to work and keep its effect going. If they cut off the Beast's energy field, the effect- the Plague- should stop by itself.

_Radiation doesn't work that way._

_It doesn't. But Ray Field isn't radiation._

Radiation fed itself by constantly knocking out particles of atoms which in turn knocked out other particles. Ray Field Energy was constantly being fed by the Ray Field Energy source. If the Field was gone, so was the effect.

When he killed Sasha, the powers of the lesser Conduits she created all dwindled fast. She had been the literal conduit between them and the Ray Field Energy source. Once she was gone, so was the energy. The same happened with the Dustmen once Alden was dead. The First Sons had been an exception, but that was because of the circumstances- Cole was Kessler and as such, shared the same Field.   
At the same time it meant if they killed the Beast, the Plague should stop. Just like when they killed Greene and the Infection gradually receded until it wasn't a threat anymore.

“It could work”, he said to nobody in particular. “I could _work_.” Several dozens of voices inside his head told him that it was impossible- but so far there had been a lot of impossible things going on, including himself. Maybe he just needed to be a bit more open-minded about everything?

* * *

Alex found the new rooftop hideout easily enough. Even if Heller's directions weren't enough of a hint, the constant cloud of ozone that accompanied Cole, and Dana's scent were a dead give-away. Since he didn't notice any activity on their side, he approached slower, buffering his breakneck speed into a glide to set down more gently.

So he wouldn't disturb any of the others. He arched one eyebrow at the scene in front of him. Heller was asleep, sprawled over a folding chair with countless snack wrappers littered around his current position. Dana and Dunbar were on the couch on opposite ends, both just as dead to the world as Heller was. Dunbar was sprawled out, Dana curled up on the side, using the arm rest as cushion. She had snacked too, but way less than Heller had, and Dunbar was surrounded by several empty beer bottles.  
Cole himself was behind the couch, lying on the roof top at an awkward angle, and Alex could smell hints of ozone. It seemed the Conduit was just sleeping off the effect of the Blast Core they found.

The television was still running too, though the movie had ended. He switched it off as he walked around the low table to carefully shove Dana further up on the couch to prevent her from falling off. Then he headed to Cole and prodded him with the tip of his shoe. No reaction. Alex shrugged and walked back to the front, taking Bertrand's briefcase with him to sit on the floor and start looking through the files.

When dawn was breaking, he heard the soft shuffle of clothes on cloth. “Hey there” Alex glanced up, his eyes meeting Dana's. She was still draped over the arm rest of the couch and was blinking sleepily at him, but there was a smile on her face. “You've been gone for a while.”

“Sorry. But I met with Cross first, and I had some thinking to do”, the Runner replied. “How about you?”

“I'm doing fine. Laroche and his men had been gentlemen to me. Once I reminded them that you are my brother.” Dana yawned and stretched, inadvertently kicking Dunbar. He just snorted once and rolled his head to the side a little, and continued snoring.

“Guess you guys had fun?”

“Yup. Didn't know how fun Lee van Cleef can be when you ingest a few bottles of booze.” She stretched again and sat up. “Anyways, it's the first time it's just us, and we needed some time off. We can't stay on high alert the entire time.”

Alex bowed his head. “Guess so.”

“You're making that face again”, she continued as she sat on the floor next to him to throw a look at the files he was holding. “Bertrand's a massive butt, huh?” She added once she threw a look at the sales contracts.

He just arched one eyebrow. “A 'butt', Dana?”

“Give me a break, my brain hasn't woken up yet. Once it is, I promise I got a few better choice words.”

“I hope so. Or else I would be worried about you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Dork”

Alex chuckled and Dana worked on mushing her cheek into his shoulder to read the contents of Bertrand's files.

“Alex?”

“Mhm?”

“James said you were doing that Hive thing.”

Alex grimaced. “I do. Kind of.” He inhaled a little shakily, mentally steeling himself for a possible screaming match with his sister about his choices. “It's not the same Greene's was, but at the core it's supposed to protect me as it did her. Feels more like a cage to me, though.”

“A cage?”

“I can't move anywhere without making contact with the Hive. I know everything that is around, see everyone. And I can't leave New Marais either because the Hive is here. Basically, I grew roots here. I don't like it.”

“But it's _you_ , right? Not like Greene. She was just the focus. The first Infected, and she was at her strongest inside her Hive.” Dana cocked her head. “But you have more power than she ever would have had, period. Especially considering that you _are_ the Infection, not just another zombie.” She shrugged. “As such, shouldn't _you_ be the one to tell the Hive what to do, and not the other way around? You're thinking too much like we do. You keep forgetting that you are far more than we could ever be.”

Alex blinked. She was right. The Infection was him. These weren't just remote-controlled storages, this was  _him_ . Blacklight was all over New Marais-  _He_ was all over New Marais. He had grown roots here, because  _he wanted it_ .  
He had told Cole that anything he cut off from himself and kept alive had the same powers as he had, and that wasn't a lie. He also told Cross that he couldn't keep his mind if he tried controlling many different bodies- and he meant it. 

But...he wouldn't need  _many_ bodies. He had  _one_ , all over the city.

Alex leaned back with a groan. “Fuck, Dana, you're a genius.”

“Thanks, I am aware”, she grinned in reply.

“I can hit the Beast”, he explained. “I already did so when it was just me and it stayed down for a while. And right now, I am the _whole city_. If I hit the Beast with a city's worth of Blacklight, I can keep it down. I thought I'd need a few armies to distract that bastard, but I don't- I just need _me_.” He grinned. “I won't defeat it, but at least I can _stop_ it for as long as I want.”

“So Cole can get the RFI rigged”, Dana finished with a wide grin. “See? Without me you would be running circles and not know what to do.”

He grinned too. “I knew there was a reason I kept you guys around. Different perspectives.”

Dana hit him in the shoulder with a snort. “Dumbass”

“I know”

She cocked her head “Since you can't hit the Beast without it showing its face, what are you going to do next?”

“I'm waiting for Cross to call me. But I think I will look for those ships carrying the Vermaak. I mean, anything to piss Bertrand off. Remember, we still need to deal with him, too. Can't forget him when the Beast's here, or else he manages to get away and start over.” His expression became thoughtful. “Maybe he'll transform and I get to chew on him.”

“I prefer scones”, Dana pointed out with a grimace. She glanced at the sky and the sun that was partially hidden behind clouds. “Well, let's begin, then. I'll go and make some coffee to get the other idiots here started.”

“Cream with sugar”, Heller's voice threw in with the tone of somebody who just woke up. “Actually, hold the coffee. Just cream and sugar, if you would.”

Dana glanced at the Evolved, who was leaned over the armrest to sluggishly start picking up the snack wrappers. Alex hadn't even noticed him waking up. “Thought you didn't like cream and sugar?”

“Yeah, but I'm also still famished. Have to get my blood sugar up before I go back out and go crazy with hunger halfway through.”

Dana shrugged. “I'll go look whether I find any buckets for your cream then.”

“Thanks, you're a peach.” Dana left and Heller paused briefly. _“Find anything interesting?”_

Alex smirked.  _Bertrand got two ships. Tries to use them to transport a few of those Vermaak guys overseas._

“ _To sell them, far as I understood.”_

 _Yup. Going to look whether I can stop them._ _Besides, these guys apparently paid in advance, so..._

Heller grinned.  _“Bertrand's going to be pissed if we intercept his shipment.”_

_Could be he shows himself, or tries to flee. Both cases are acceptable._

“Whatever it is you guys are talking about- I want in.” Alex and Heller both turned to see Cole stare at them with a singular determined expression. The Conduit had sat up and was rubbing his neck, but his eyes were lucid and narrow. Dunbar was also still snoring away on the couch, showing little reaction to their discussion asides from an occasional dry cough.

“Why do you assume we've been talking?” Heller questioned.

“Alex is grinning after making eye contact with you”, Cole pointed out. “And sorry about that, but you aren't exactly a sight for sore eyes.”

Alex snorted amused, cutting off anything Heller could have said. “Enlighten me, then, what do you think were we talking about?”

Cole furrowed his brows, then sat up straight and pointed at the briefcase. “You know where Bertrand's taking the Vermaak guys, do you?”

“I do”

“Good. I want in.”

Alex just cocked his head, but didn't question. Cole quickly caved in under his gaze. “I need to be there, okay? I just...I have the feeling I need to be there.”

His pulse was being irregular, and the Runner exhaled a sigh. “How do you feel?”

Cole blinked. “Uh...I'm fine?”

“You're not”, Heller threw in.

“And how would you know?”

“We're living detectors for all things concerning health”, Alex reminded him. “And your system is being wonky.” His pulse was irregular, his blood pressure too low, body temperature elevated. From the smell alone, Alex figured that there was a hormonal cocktail with differing functions rushing through his body, too.

“Not exactly how I would have put it, but yeah”, Heller added. “Wonky”

The Conduit glared at the two of them, and threw up his hands as he stood up from the couch. “Fine, I am feeling  _wonky_ . Nothing a small jog around the block wouldn't fix, though. And anyways, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?”

“It doesn't work that way” Mercer grumbled. _Wolfe's data suggested he could very well kill himself if he keeps this up._

Heller furrowed his brows.  _“Shouldn't we warn him?”_

_Wouldn't work. He's a stubborn idiot._ Alex sighed.  _We just need to make sure he lives to actually use the RFI._

“ _Great.”_

“I know you guys are talking about me again”, Cole bit out. “And I know I don't want to know about what. So you going to show me where to go, or do I have to go and look by myself?”

“I'm with you on that one”, Alex threw in, getting up to approach him. “I know where to look. And frankly, if Bertrand got some ice soldiers ready for sale, then the Militia must have been good enough to re-trap a few of them. I'd like to know how they did it.” That, and ever since the Beast made its appearance in New Marais without killing all of them, he had prepared what could be prepared. Now he had to wait- and nothing grated more on his nerves than having to wait.

He shook his head and glanced at the Conduit. “You want to eat something first?”

Cole shook his head. “Nah, man. Just thinking of food makes me want to throw up. Let's just shoot down Bertrand's work.” He grimaced. “I really think I need to go there. It's like my head screams at me to do so.”

Alex's eyes narrowed just as Heller's did.  _“Weird choice of wording, no?”_

_It is. Can't help but think that something's about to happen._

“ _Shit. Now what?”_

_Get ready as quickly as you can. Tell Dana too._

“Guys? How about you do me a favor and not do your telepathy thing when I am present? I'm starting to get an inferiority complex here.”

Alex snorted. “Sorry about that, but, you see, it's very convenient to talk without being overheard.” He simply motioned for the Conduit to follow him. “Bertrand has two ships, to the South of Gas Works. You passed them by when you took out the warehouses.”

“Shit-”

“We didn't know about this, so don't sweat it.”

“They could have left, could have sold these guys off at any given time-”

Alex barked a short laughter. “They wouldn't have. Bertrand's trapped, and without his orders, they wouldn't leave anyways. Plus, I'm pretty sure these Vermaak guys are also trying to free their buddies, so these ships won't be able to get away.”

Cole's glare hardened, before he snorted and slumped his shoulders. “I hope you are right on that account. We can't let anybody have those ice freaks for weapons. They are dangerous and completely off their rocker.”

“I know I am right”, the Runner replied easily. “Because the ships won't leave either. The gas pumps to refuel them were located at the warehouse you and Heller destroyed.”

“So they don't have any gas to go anyways”, Cole exhaled in relief. “Good. So we'll just take them out--” He cut himself off with a startled yelp when the roof edge beneath proved itself not to be as stable as he formerly thought, and the ancient stone crumbled the moment he tried to put weight on it.

He didn't hit the floor, though, because he remained tethered to the crumbling roof structure.

Tethered by a line of static electricity.

Alex blinked and actually had to compute the situation- dozens of voices inside his head screamed that this was  _not_ possible by physical standards, when Cole made a surprised noise and pulled himself upwards, the line fading the moment he had a secure grip on the wall.

“Okay. That just got my blood pumping”, the Conduit declared with an awkward grimace as soon he was back on top of the roof. “Uhm...what was that?”

“No idea”, Alex admitted. “Kessler never had this ability. It looked like...a lightning tether?”

“Must be a new ability from the Core”, Cole muttered with a frown. He stretched his arm and let lightning run across it, then clenched his fist and reeled his arm back. When he threw it to the front, a lightning bolt jumped from his palm and hit the wall of a building across the street- but instead of fizzling out, the bolt increased in thickness and _remained_. 

Cole blinked again, and experimentally tugged at the line- and it instantly shortened and yanked him across the street towards the building.

Alex caught him before he could collide with the wall.

However, once he let go of the Conduit on top of the roof, Cole instantly tried again, this time deliberately reeling himself towards the next wall and catching himself on a window sill with a rather ungraceful belly-flop. Alex watched slightly amused how the Conduit scrambled upwards to balance on the sill and immediately threw another lightning tether upwards to the edge of the roof to pull himself skywards with enough speed and momentum so he flung himself far above the building with a gleeful whoop. “Now that's the way to climb!”

Alex snorted amused the moment the Conduit angled his body and enveloped himself in a cloak of flames to glide across the rooftop in a manner very similar to himself, and he kicked off to soar right next to him with streaks of red trailing after him. “Nice move. Can't help but think I've seen it somewhere.”

“Yeah, Spider-man does it all the time”, Cole replied with a grin, then hit a roof in a roll. Alex landed besides him with a heavy thud. He threw a cursory side glance at the Conduit, switched to his Whipfist and pointed at a group of Vermaak soldiers. “You think you could grab one of these guys?”

Cole blinked, eyed the clawed tentacle in confusion. “Like...you do?”

“Exactly.” Alex lifted his claw briefly. “I could demonstrate, but that would probably scatter these guys.”

Cole frowned. “I think I can do it.” He exhaled and shuffled his feet slightly wider, then generated his lightning tether and threw it to the front. Being lighting, it was a lot faster than Alex's Whipfist, though there wasn't any mass behind it as it hit its target. The man still jerked in surprise- and Cole clenched his fist and ripped his arm back, yanking the man right off his feet and pulling him towards himself.

He didn't seem to strain himself doing so, though he was still unused to this kind of power, so the Vermaak soldier was on a collision course, one that Cole couldn't control. Alex snatched the guy right out of mid-air with his Whipfist and slammed him into the roof to shatter his form, sending ice shards flying everywhere.

“Not bad for your first try.”

“Yeah, thanks”, Cole brushed off his pants and paused with a frown. “Uh...I guess we should maybe get ready for his buddies?”

Alex grinned. “They won't be around any longer.” He lunged off the building and right between the ice freaks, lashing his Whipfist in a circle around his body. Three soldiers were ripped to pieces, the others managed to dive clear.

Didn't matter. Alex spun on his heel and slammed his Whipfist down, instantly sending tendrils burrowing into the ground around the impact area. He grimaced briefly at the sub-zero ice that was firmly lodged into the soil, and forced his Groundspikes out of the floor, impaling a few more of the Vermaak soldiers.

The others tried to flee. Alex simply bunched the muscles in his legs and launched himself after them, colliding with one of those Heavies in mid-air and turning him into icy mist on impact.

Bright light stole his eyesight for a moment, and he kicked off the air to get into some safe distance the second Cole's lightning tether came out of nowhere and sheared through the remaining four guys with ease. Not so much tearing like his clawed tentacle, but rather burning through these guys like a cutting torch.

When the bodies hit the ground, Alex landed on a car with a solid crack. “Impressive work”

Cole was still staring at the bisected corpses, then exhaled and grinned. “See? Now I got a whip too.”

“Laser whip even”, the Runner supplied. “Should come in handy.” He probably wouldn't want to get hit by that- he would heal, but it wasn't going to be pleasant at all.

He paused at the sight and sound of several Vermaak soldiers closing in on the two cargo ships at the south end of Gas Works. “The cavalry already arrived.”

“Cavalry?” Cole squinted into the direction of the ships. “Wow, looks like they really want to free their buddies.”

Alex just cocked his head. “Guess it'll be a little tougher to get through.”

Cole snorted and flames flickered to life along his arms. “Yeah, nothing we didn't have before.”

Alex hummed in understanding. “There are two ships, and two of us.” He glanced at Cole. “I'd say you get the one closer to our current position, I take the one further away.”

“Deal, but how do we stop this thing?” He cut himself off and corrected his question. “How do _I_ stop it? Since I can not, like you, throw a ship around.”

“Target the anchor winch”, Alex suggested with a smirk. “It should be connected to the main machine. Fry the winch, and the whole thing should die. If not, get to the bridge and shut the navigation down.”

“Okay” Cole inhaled once, bounced on his heels twice- and leapt off the warehouse they had stopped on to dash towards the first cargo ship. Almost immediately, a group of Vermaak swarmed him. He reacted in an instant, smashing one of those ash tornadoes into them to get them to back off, before he used his lightning tether to reel himself into a better position. The men charged after him, using pillars of ice to catapult themselves upwards and after him, but Cole's lightning blasts took care of them easily.

“ _Think he has this?”_

_You've been with him. You tell me._

Heller snorted.  _“Yup. He got this down, alright.”_

_Any reason you're talking to me?_ Usually, Heller wasn't the one to initiate a conversation between them.

“ _I'm kind of worried. Dunbar's been coughing ever since he got up. That's...the Ray Field Plague, right?”_

_Most likely._ Alex sighed.  _We need to tell Cole._

“ _Yeah, no shit”_

_We'll get back to you once we stopped those ships._

“ _Do that.”_ The Runner turned and headed for the second ship now that he was positive that Cole would manage on his side.

He had a ship to sink too, after all.

A wide grin made its way on his face as he headed for the cargo cranes sitting at the dock just next to the ship. He hit the structure hard, making it shudder from the sudden strain- and pushed upwards while coiling the mass in his legs.  
He leapt off as soon he reached the end of the crane and just kept going straight up, the dock spiraling away beneath him. The Vermaak idiots hadn't noticed him yet, and Alex gave himself a moment to calculate the best angle.

Then he kicked off the air and shot straight towards the ship, Armor forming to reduce wind draft and increase his total speed.

When he hit the ship, he smashed right through the main deck and into the main cargo hold beneath.  
Before he even stopped falling, his body exploded into every direction in a tightly packed ball of tendrils, shooting outwards for dozens of feet and easily eating up whatever got in their way to thoroughly thrash the cargo hold and kill whatever Ice Soldier had been stored down here. They also speared through the bottom hull violently and when they pulled back to him, they ripped metal paneling loose, so water rushed gurgling into the belly of the ship.

Alex grinned unseen under his faceplate and kicked off the damaged floor to get back on deck.  
The Vermaak were still reeling, but recovered quickly the moment he made his appearance and shot towards him, yelling enraged. He just scoffed, let the first blasts of ice hit his dense shell, then swung around and formed the Musclemass to simply slam his fists together once and dissolve the closest guys into crushed ice.

Another blast of ice hit his back, near his gills, and Alex grunted in displeasure when the sub-zero air leaked into his system. He turned slowly, glared at the group of Vermaak behind his body- and dropped to one knee to jab his hand into the deck and unravel himself through the crawlspace beneath the floorboards.

The Groundspikes caught these guys unaware and tore them to shreds within the blink of an eye.

More Vermaak were still present, but they seemed more cautious. Alex snorted and removed his shell, charging to the front much faster than he had done so before. The first four guys didn't even know what was happening when his talons tore through them and sent the pieces of them clattering across the floor.

When the others finally reacted, they were too late. Alex picked them off easily, and even the two Heavies nearby hadn't been able to slow him down at all.  
He scoffed and brushed some crushed ice off his shoulders as soon as the last guy crumbled to the ground, when he paused and slowly turned to glare to the front of the ship.

The back deck was shaking with tremendous steps, and the air temperature was constantly falling. A malicious grin revealed his teeth. It seemed the Vermaak had been bringing up the big guns, because that was one of these Titans Heller and Cole had fought before.

It turned and roared at him when he casually walked towards it, head cocked to the side as he glanced at it. It swung its giant arm at him to smash him, though he easily caught the blow one-handed, twisted his wrists briefly- and crushed the entire limb to icy dust. The Titan reeled back with a surprised yowl, and Alex pulled his arms close to his body, drawing his Biomass into tight curls. The giant jerked back to the front and stomped the floor to create Ice Groundspikes, though he easily dodged and leapt upwards while continuing to build the pressure on his inside.

He slammed his palms downwards towards the Titan and simply let go of the force. Tightly packed tendrils shot from his arms and chest and crashed into the ice monster like a cannon blast, went right through it like it wasn't there in the first place, and tore through the ship's front part with ease. The ship groaned like a wounded animal, then shrieked when he yanked his Biomass back and ripped the hole at the bottom of the hull wide open. As water rushed into the cargo hold, the whole ship shuddered and creaked loudly, before its entire front snapped off and both parts sank into the shallow harbor basin, while the water roared and churned violently.

“You son of a bitch!” Alex landed on the deck and turned slightly to glance at Cole. The Conduit had approached him while he was busy toying with the Vermaak, and was now staring with wide eyes at the destruction he caused.

“I am, care to clarify what made you realize this?”

The Conduit flapped his arms in a very familiar gesture of 'I don't believe this shit right now'. “Heller and I needed good five minutes to take a bastard like that down, and you just pulverize it  _and_ destroy the whole damn ship in  _one blow_ ?!”

Alex shrugged. “Sometimes you just need to ravage everything in your closer vicinity. I think it's also the best way to prevent anything from coming to bite you in the ass.” He grinned. “Plus, why should I restrict myself if I have the abilities?”

The ship beneath them bucked and groaned in that moment, and the Runner grimaced. “We should take this somewhere else”, he suggested. “Lest we want to take a bath.”

“Yeah, would be better”, Cole agreed, but didn't move. His brows were furrowed as he stared at the anchor winches installed on the back deck. “But I have a feeling?”

He didn't explain further, just walked over to the anchor winches, frowning even deeper.

“Cole?” Alex cocked his head as he trailed after him. His behavior seemed odd, even for his standards.

“Let me just try something?” The Conduit aimed both palms towards either winch and released lightning, frying both machines. Alex heard the whine of electronics, and the cracking of machinery far below their feet. He cleared his throat. “In case you haven't noticed, but I kind of tore the ship apart, you don't need to--”

He cut himself off when suddenly something exploded, and Cole ducked to the side with a swear, nearly losing his balance in the process. The ship heaved and whined like an animal, sparks were spewing out of the winches and the engines beneath them screeched as they overheated and erupted one by one.

Then flames sprang up from the back deck, and for a second Alex suspected that somewhere cables caught fire-

The flames didn't feed on anything, appeared just in front of them for all of a split moment, before they vanished again.

It was as if somebody hit the pause button- everything seemed to freeze when a figure stood where the flames had been. Alex hissed and reeled back, just as Cole stepped to the front, eyes wide as he stared at the other. “What the Hell?”

The newcomer smiled at them. “MacGrath, Mercer, it's good to see you again. I wanted to meet you earlier, but things happened.”

Alex ducked back, snarling, even as Cole's jaw dropped open. “John White?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that at the back of a ship is the poop deck (and no, you don't do there what the name implies), and at the front is the back deck? I didn't.
> 
> I hope I managed to tie up most loose ends here, just Bertrand and the Vermaak left now that we know the Beast's true identity.
> 
> Also playing around with the Lightning Tether. What, you think you would be able to control a newly acquired abilities that easily? That shit's hard.  
> On another Side Note, Alex is still far more powerful than Cole ever will be. I will fight you on that.


	25. Savior

Cole couldn't say what he was feeling. Right now, it was a twister of conflicting emotions that eventually solidified into one name. “John White?!”

The man smiled with what was a somewhat painful expression. “Last I checked.”

“That's impossible”, Cole bit out. “You're dead.” Because, technically, he _should be_. He had seen him getting reduced to ashes when the Ray Sphere exploded in Empire, had barely escaped with his own life intact.

The other man grimaced briefly. “I was, for a while”, he admitted, keeping his eyes on the Electric Conduit who drew closer with his jaw hanging open as he tried to get his brain working  _somehow_ . “I can still feel it sometimes, getting torn apart atom by atom. Somehow,  _I_ remained however, and eventually managed to pull myself back together. Do you know how tedious this is?”

Cole was slowly circling the man in a stunned fascination now. “Sounds tricky.” He stopped briefly with a grunt. “Are you aware you're looking like Satan?”

John blinked, actually taken back for a moment. “Satan?”

“Yeah, man. With those eyes, and the suit, and the whole appearing-out-of-fire-deal-” When Cole had seen the NSA agent last, he was wearing a hoodie and slacks. Now he was donning a red two-piece suit that he wore open to show his chest and the numerous scars across his body and face. His eyes were red, had slitted pupils.

He had changed his appearance, much like Kuo had done.

Cole cocked his head at that idea, words forming on the tip of his tongue as his thoughts started pulling into the same direction. “Let me guess- You survived because you're a Conduit, no? Kuo said you had the Gene.” It seemed pretty much everybody he ever had contact with turned out to be a Conduit these days. Were likely his hidden powers, if he thought about it.

“Lucy is here?”, the man's eyebrows shot up in what was relief. “That's good to hear.”

“Yeah, she's here. She's probably thrilled to have you back.” Cole shook his head. “Man, if I get over the surprise, I'll be thrilled too. Bet Alex is thinking something similar. Isn't that right, Alex?”

The only answer he got was a growl, and he turned, suspicious. “You alright, man?”   
Mercer wasn't. He had backed up as far as he could on the back deck, his body was ducked and partially armored, his claws were out and his teeth bared. His skin was pale, and he sucked in air through his clenched teeth. More than ever he resembled a cornered animal, ready to bite if it saved his life.

It  _terrified_ Cole, and without thinking, he stepped between the two men, his back to John. “Alex? You okay?”

With him cutting off the line of sight, the Runner turned his attention to him, albeit reluctantly- and his eyes kept darting over Cole's shoulder to keep John under observation.

“Dude, don't you remember John White? The guy that helped us secure the Ray Sphere?”

“I remember John White”, Alex bit out. “I remember him enough to know that _this_ John White is so far off that it makes me want to lash out and rend him limb from limb.”

This...didn't really fit with his behavior- he was scared, not angry. Or both? And what was he scared of? Of John? Cole blinked and cocked his head. “You know why?”

“No fucking idea”, the Runner growled.

“Okay, then what does it feel like?”

Alex snorted, eyes narrowing. “My instincts tell me to get the Hell out of dodge, or kill him, while my head tells me that he's our ally and as such deserves my trust.” He scoffed. “And I don't know what to do about this.”

“If I may?” John cleared his throat, and Alex jumped. Cole grimaced, turning to glance at the other man. The newly-claimed Conduit spread his hands, palms up. “I know animals flee at my approach, and obviously you aren't as deaf to your instincts as humans usually are- which makes you endlessly more perceptive.” He smiled in a disarming way. “And I'm sorry I startled you.”

Alex didn't seem persuaded, but at least he stopped with the growling and the armor and claws. Cole figured with the situation disarmed, it counted as win. He turned his attention fully to John. “It's really great to see you again, man. And it's good to see you around here, because we might need your help.”

“I...am aware”, John admitted. There was a tense line in his jaw, that quickly vanished when he smiled again. “I've been looking for you, you know? Tried to catch you without your trigger-happy-looking military friends.”

“Really?” Cole blinked. “And why were you looking for me?”

The smile turned into a brief grimace, before the man's lips were pressed into a thin line. “I have something to show you. If you would?” He lifted his hand, and Cole flinched back before he caught himself. He saw the strange look in John's eyes, like a mixture between regret and defeat. “I won't hurt you, MacGrath. You know this.”

Cole grimaced. “Yeah, I know. It's just-” he exhaled and shook himself, though couldn't help but think that this was what Alex must be feeling. Just a hint of displeasure, a whisper of danger. He didn't know what to make of it and just relaxed his shoulders to allow John to continue. He trusted him, didn't he?

John's outstretched fingers tapped his forehead slightly- there was a spark of flames and a flash of white across Cole's eyes- and he flinched back with a startled grunt, shaking his head to clear his vision of the stars dancing across it.

And John was  _gone_ .

Cole spun on his heel, hoping to catch a glance of the other man, but only found Alex, who was halfway to jump in front of him or attack or yank him back  _or...anything_ , really _._ “Alex? Please tell me you haven't eaten John.”

“He just vanished”, the Runner replied with a snort. “Took me by surprise-” He cocked his head as his bristling surface eased back into a normal looking jacket. “Did he do anything to you?”

“No”, Cole shook his head. “Because he wouldn't hurt me, you know?” John had been his only ally besides Alex and Dana after Zeke ran away with Kessler. He could trust the agent, and the man had been ready to accept bodily harm- and death- in order for him to finish his mission.

But something felt different. It was...like he could sense all sources of electricity across the Gas Works- but that couldn't be, because his range had never been more than two or three blocks-

“ _Cole? Don't be alarmed, but I just upgraded your radar. You have a larger range now, along with...other applications that still fall in your normal range of abilities.”_

The Conduit whirled in his spot, because that had been _John_ talking to him- but _John was not there_! “What the...”

“ _I'm not really present, but I can hear you, and you can hear me.”_

“Uh, don't think I got that in the middle part.” He was still looking for the man, knowing perfectly well he wouldn't find him. 

“ _I can speak to you, because I changed your radar so you can pick up my voice. Nothing too dramatic.”_

“Freaky”, Cole shook his head. “Okay, so you upgraded my radar. And?”

“ _You also gained the ability to see the Plague. Find me at the largest concentration of victims. I need to show you something.”_

Cole blinked rapidly as John's voice faded, and he took a moment to look around and make sure he was really gone and not just hiding somewhere. Alex however was nearby, and his posture was stiff. “He altered your senses?” He just demanded to know.

“Uh...he did?” There was a flash of...worry (?) on Alex's face, so Cole hurried to lift his hands. “Hey, man, don't worry. All he did was upgrading my radar.”

“Are you certain?” The Runner clenched his fists hard. “We don't know what his powers are. He came back from being _torn to atoms_ \- what else can he do? What else could he have done without you realizing it?”

“You don't trust him?” Cole cocked his head. “After all he's done for us? He _died_ for the sake of the mission, Alex!”

The Runner snorted. “I don't trust a lot of people, not even myself. You, Cross and Heller are an exception. But White”, Alex shook his head. “There is something  _off_ about him. I can't place my finger on it, but it makes my back crawl.” He furrowed his brows, “It feels like Kessler is at the back of my head, shouting at me.”

Cole blinked. “Shouldn't that be...you know, normal?”

The Runner scoffed. “It doesn't work that way. The people I consume- I  _am_ them, they are me. But they aren't people anymore. Anything they do after I consumed them, it is  _me_ acting in their stead, not them. Kessler is dead and gone, I just have his memories- and it still feels like he's still there. None of the others are like this. Not even Greene, or Pariah.”

“And right now he's telling you to keep an eye on John?”

“Exactly”, Alex ran a hand under his hood, tearing at his hair for a brief moment. “But I don't know _why_. Or _how_ , for that matters.” He cut himself off with a frustrated snarl. “What did he tell you?” Because _of course_ he knew John had been talking to Cole inside his own head.

Cole inclined his head. “He told me to find the nearest Plague Ward. Wanted to show me something.”

Alex grimaced. “I don't think it's a good idea.”

Cole brushed him off. “I think it  _is_ . Look, John is willing to give a few answers of what is going on here. And I want those answers.” He grit his teeth as he turned to face the city. “I am not smart like Dana or Zeke or Kuo, nor am I as confident as Heller or Cross or Nix, and I am pretty sure I am leagues beneath whatever you are. I am fucking out of my depth on that one, and if somebody offers answers, I'm going to seize that chance.” 

He kicked the floor to create a pillar of ice beneath his feet and catapult himself as high upwards as he could go, then curled up and enveloped himself in flames to glide towards the dock. The sinking ship had done a number on the construction, and it was broken, wet and slippery. Cole managed to stick to the landing and avoid the largest puddles as he headed away from the water.

Once he was, he paused for a moment, inhaled deeply- and sent out a radar pulse.

It was like he had been blind this entire time- because that one pulse included nearly all of Gas Works and showed him  _every_ source of energy. He could see all electrical outlets- AC units, street lights, appliances of all kind- glow up in front of his eyes. He could sense humans roam around, countless animals of all sizes, tiny sparks of energy that were too little to satisfy his constant thirst for energy and were likely all sorts of bugs. One massive signature nearby that was just a collection of random charges, all appearing and vanishing without order. In the distance, he felt something similar, rolling just beneath the streets of Ascension Parish and further away beneath the other parts of New Marais. 

One collection nearby was somewhat strange, and it took his attention. It were human signatures, but there was a second layer of energy woven into them- and gradually taking over.

Plague victims.

Cole didn't know how he knew- he just  _did_ , and set into motion. He threw his arm to the front, Lightning Tether forming and latching onto the warehouse opposite of him, and reeling himself in when he tugged at the line.  
He let go the moment he catapulted himself over the roof and instantly enveloped himself in a cloak of flames to soar across the next warehouse easily. There was the sound of leather flapping in the wind, and he tilted his head slightly. “Thought you didn't want to come along?”

“I don't”, Alex agreed. “But I'm also curious.” He snorted once as he kicked the air to get another boost and continue gliding (Cole made a mental note to figure out these 'Air Dashes' himself). “Luckily I'm not a cat, so this won't kill me.”

“Famous last words”, Cole commented as he hit a roof in a roll and lunged across a narrow alley. “Famous last words, man.”

Alex only snorted, and it sounded amused at first, though was cut off by a scoff when they approached a warehouse that had been turned into a lazaret. Cole grimaced briefly by the noticeable scent of copper and antiseptics in the air. As far as wards went, this one was clean. Each victim had an own bed, an own locker for their private stuff, and there were toilets and sinks installed.  
But he still shuddered when he realized that  _there were no_ doctors nearby. Not even assistants or nurses. All these people- they had simply been put here to die. 

Because there was no cure against the Ray Field Plague, just medications to slow the process down and ease the suffering. Medication that was needed in other, less hopeless diseases, and as such, the doctors simply had the victims shipped into locations like that. To prevent a spread, or just prevent a drop in motivation- after all, people dying left and right weren't going to do wonders for the doctors and other patients.

Cole could understand the reasoning behind it, but still felt his anger rise with the realization that these people were treated like lepers. And all of it just because the others weren't aware that the Ray Field Plague wasn't a plague _at all_ , but  _poisoning_ , and as such, was _not contagious_.

“And those are the people I'm trying to protect”, Cole grumbled to no-one in particular as he set down outside of the Plague ward. 

“What did you expect?” Alex commented as he hit the floor right next to him. “Once humans get scared, they become idiots. Just think of how many people die in mass panics because one didn't go with the flow.”

“And if there is a disease going around, they all shut down their higher brain functions”, Cole continued, walking inside the warehouse. “Yeah, I can see that this is going to be a problem.”

“ _And they aren't the only ones”_ , John's voice echoed _. “The Plague has spread all over the East Coast, millions are infected. In a few weeks, it will be worse. The Government can't stop this senseless loss of life. But we can.”_

Cole's back crawled in alarm. Alex was right, something  _was off_ with John- those words hadn't been coincidental. He swallowed thickly. “And...how do you think we should do this?”

John's voice was silent for a moment.  _“Among all these Plague victims there is a possible Conduit. I want you to find them. I will meet you once you did.”_

“A possible Conduit?” Cole furrowed his brows. Just _how_ was he supposed to go about this? He glanced at the people around, and they looked back without any reaction towards him. They seemed dead, hopeless, had given up already. The Conduit grit his teeth and turned a bit towards his companion. “Hey, Alex? You think you can sniff out a potential Conduit?”

The other glanced at him briefly. “I don't think so.”

“No?”

“I didn't know Kuo was a Conduit, not from scent alone. I could have known, if I had actively tasted her. But if I were to check the genetic codes of these people here, I'd have to...take a bite out of each of these guys. And with them already sick...” He trailed off with a grimace.

Cole shuddered. Yeah, that would be like standing in front of the best burger in the World and being told to look and touch and maybe even lick to see how good it is- and then not being allowed to eat it. He shook himself. “Fair points.”

Alex was eying him. “Didn't you say White upgraded your radar?”

That...was right. And the last time he'd seen Bertrand use his powers, he had been aware of the other Conduit before even seeing him. Had probably not only been his nerves talking.  
Cole nodded once and exhaled, then sent out a radar pulse. It instantly spread across most of the Gas Works again, and he grit his teeth. No, no. Not the wide range. He needed something more delicate. So he tried again, this time actively reducing range to increase the information he gathered. Alex's weird electrical system threw him out of the loop for a second, but at the same moment, he realized that he could see  _much_ more. There were the random signals firing all throughout his body (sensory signals, he suspected), he could see the wisps of energy radiating outwards and flowing into him (from the other body parts he had stored all over New Marais, most likely). He could basically see the cells being cannibalized for energy, could see the virus in itself, dormant beneath the skin.

“Holy shit”, Cole gasped, and felt a little sick. Once he was certain he wasn't going to hurl, he jabbed his finger at the Runner. “You, my friend, are seriously fucked up.”

“I am aware?” Alex just cocked his head in confusion.

Cole grit his teeth. “Just used my new radar on you, and  _shiiiit_ . It's like looking at a flipping TV screen with 3-D glasses while tripping out of your skull.”

“How about you don't look at me, then?” He jabbed his chin roughly into the direction of the sick people. “Find this Conduit. Then let's get out of this place.”

Right, sick people, easy meal. Would hit the regret deep, so it would be better to get out as soon as possible. Cole nodded and sent out another radar pulse- this time ignoring the Runner and checking the Ray Field victims.

The nervous system glowed up in front of his eyes, and he watched with fascination all those neural pathways that were alight with information. But alongside there was something else, something that didn't belong. His mind more or less interpreted it as red flames dancing through the people's bodies. Some were small, just tiny dots centered along the lungs, while others were nearly completely taken over by a red inferno.

The Plague.

_All_ of them were similar, all of them dead people walking. Cole hissed as he moved through the warehouse, followed by their lifeless stares. Alex was close-by, body tense as if he expected something to jump at him any given moment.

Then Cole stopped, eyebrows furrowing when he noticed one human nearby. Affected by the Ray Field Sickness too- but there was something else. Something  _warm_ , and luring. Like golden sparks beyond the red spots, glowing brightly just for him to see.

“I think I found them?” Cole cocked his head with a frown, then headed towards the signature. It was a woman, lying on a cot and coughing like she tried to breathe water. She had dark hair, slightly worn clothes, and a pair of glasses. Looked older than Dana, or Kuo, but not by much.

“Her?” Alex too approached her intrigued, and there were some tendrils crawling over his shoulders to taste the air.

“Pretty sure.” Cole frowned. “Now what?”

Alex jumped suddenly, the same moment John appeared from spurts of flame. “You can try to heal her”, he suggested, obvious oblivious towards the other man's unease. “It won't work however.” He briefly gestured to the other patients who barely spared him a glance. “All these here, they are dead already. The Plague's eating through them as we speak.”

“So we can't save them?”

“Not the others, no”, John shook his head, then pointed at the woman. “But she I can save.”

“Because she's a Conduit?”

John nodded. “I can activate her. I can activate all of our kind. But not without cost.”

It was like ice began crawling down Cole's spine. Alex had stepped back, his pale eyes focused solely on John, teeth bared and claws slipping into existence.

That right there- the way he expressed himself- this was...this was a lot like Empire. Too much like Empire, too much like the Swamp. Conduits surviving otherwise lethal conditions, while thousands of others died. Died to save one single person.  
John's words were describing the Ray Sphere  _perfectly_ . But the Ray Sphere had been destroyed- had destroyed John as it blew up.

Kessler had told him he would have gotten new powers from it.   
Like John had just done with his radar.

Because John  _was_ a Ray Sphere. In human form.

Cole stepped back, hyper aware of Alex's snarl and the feeling of him shifting forms, just as John enveloped himself in flames. The same flames he'd seen in the last moments of Empire. The same flames he'd seen in New Marais. The same flames that eradicated all those cities along the East Coast.

The same flames that were the Beast.

_Because John White was the Beast._

* * *

Alex awoke just as soon the tremors had died down, and realized he was trapped.  _Trapped for fifty years, no way out until the child awoke-_

No, no. Not his memories. Her memories. He was safe. There was no Blackwatch, no Gentek. Yet he was trapped.

Trapped like...months ago. With Dana. Buried under a building when he...ran away from an explosion. A Ray Sphere Explosion. Just like the one that happened.

Just like the one...White caused. Alex's brain snapped into clarity, and with a snarl, he jerked himself upright, tearing the protective shell that he apparently covered himself with to pieces. He found himself several yards  _away_ from the warehouse, near the remains of what was likely the protective cocoon he had instinctively formed to protect himself. 

He thoughtfully toed the thick scorched slabs of metallic chitin thoughtfully, and the material was instantly absorbed into his body. He grinned briefly. This was his second real Ray Field Explosion and the first one he took point-blank, and he got out alive. He definitely had to remember that move.

Then he lifted his head and his good mood dropped. The warehouse was a scorched black corpse of a building. The roof was still more or less intact, but that couldn't be said about the walls. Those had  _melted_ and the support beams were crooked.  
Part of him was worried they might not take the load any longer and collapse- but if they did, they wouldn't do any harm.

There was nobody left alive anyways.

From his position he could see the charred remains of the people that had once been confined inside this ward. He grimaced briefly- of course normal humans wouldn't survive a Ray Sphere explosion- but White claimed that there had also been a Conduit.

And where was  _his_ Conduit, anyways?

That particular problem solved itself when he rounded the corner of the ex-lazaret and spied the tell-tale yellow (if slightly scorched) shirt. Cole seemed mostly unharmed, if knocked unconscious from the blast. He was glad he found him as fast as he did, because with all the ashes and scorched metal in the air his sense of smell wasn't working correctly anyways.  
Cole coughed and was just struggling to his feet the moment Alex approached, groaned and shook his head. “Shit” He blinked a few times, then turned wide terrified eyes on the Runner. “John is the Beast, Alex.  _John is the Beast_ !”

_Yeah, I kind of got that the moment he blew up._ Alex grit his teeth. “I noticed”, he ground out. “Didn't realize he was making my stomach churn until shortly  _before_ he activated his powers.” Soon that happened, he had had barely enough time to shield himself. But even so he could tell he lost about two thirds of the Biomass he had currently on him. If he hadn't gotten that shell up, the blast could have destroyed this body, forcing him to regenerate from the closest storage. He wondered whether White was aware of his safety measures, or did he believe what everybody else did- namely that Alex was a Conduit?

Or did he readily accept him as collateral like the Ray Field Victims when he activated the other Conduit?

He grit his teeth and shook his head. “Where is she?”

“She?” Cole furrowed his brows, seconds before his expression turned wide and panicked. “Shit- the Conduit-” A scream cut through the still air like a knife, and both men instantly spun around to sprint towards the source.

It was the woman with the glasses. She was screaming, her hands covering her eyes as she tried to block out the sight of all the bodies around.   
She was also directly beneath the ceiling, several feet off the ground, and kicking helplessly against thin air.

“Shit”, Cole instantly scrambled upwards, seizing the derelict roof construction securely and pulled himself up on the beams to take his weight off his arms. She squealed and tried to jerk away, and Cole swore a little under his breath.

“Hey, hey, we're not going to hurt you-”

“Make it go away!” She shrieked in answer, kicking the air, “Make it all go away!”

Alex was halfway through forming tendrils and pull her down (and screw how she would think about it), when Cole cocked his head and motioned for him to stay calm. “What? What are we supposed to go away?”

“The voices!” She screeched hysterically, “The screams! Make them go away! _Please_!”

_Oh_ . Cole's expression mirrored Alex's thoughts. The screams- every Conduit that had been activated with a Ray Sphere could hear them- the people that had been sacrificed to activate them. Echoes of their last coherent thoughts, electrical signals implanted into the target.

“I know it's bad, but it'll get easier, trust me”, Cole told the woman. Alex scoffed. Decades after being activated, Kessler could still hear them. It wouldn't get easier, Conduits simply had to learn to ignore them. He had to learn it, too.  
He wisely didn't comment on it however, as Cole continued speaking to the woman, and even down here Alex heard her pulse slow down. “I went through this too. As did my friend down there. As did my friends back at my place. You're not alone. We can help you, but you need to trust us.”

“Trust you?!” She screeched in panic.

“Yes, trust us”, Cole sighed. “Look, I get how it looks like. We came in alongside the man who just shot everybody else to shit- and we three survived. That's because we three are similar.”

“Similar?!”

“Conduits”, Alex rumbled. Well, _he_ wasn't one, but she didn't need to know. “What happened here- it wasn't our fault since it took us by surprise just as much as it did you.” He snorted, turning away to go. “And why blame us for your _survival_ , anyways?” There was a sharp intake of air, and Alex just scoffed. “Look around you. Everybody else is dead, you aren't. More even, you also just got a set of shiny new powers. Powers that are part of you now, whether you want to or not.” 

He snorted again at the sound of her whimper. “Powers you need to learn to control, because without control they will be a threat to everybody around you and to an extent, to  _you_ as well.” Cole made a noise, but Alex chose to ignore it. “As for your demand, we can't 'make them go away'. The voices you hear are part of you now too. A memory of the day you got remade as a Conduit, and a lesson to be learned. If you don't want any of this, well, just give me a holler and I'll put you out of your misery.”

“ _Wow. Rude much?”_

_Fuck off._

“ _She just survived a pretty traumatizing event, you could cut her some slack.”_

_She was being hysterical and unreasonable. Shock's the best way to deal with this._

“ _Well, I hope for the sake of every living person that you'll curb it in. Cross wants to see you.”_

_Rooks arrived?_

“ _Yeah”_

_Fucking finally._

Alex shook himself free of the Hivemind, listening to the sobbing in the real world. “Heller just contacted me. I'm needed at Phillipe.”

Cole's answer was a tired sigh. “Yeah, do that. Thanks for helping me with these Ice Freaks, but dude, you could have been a little more gentle on this front here.”

He shrugged, motioning towards the Conduit who was slowly lowering herself to the ground, sobbing. “Worked, didn't it?”

“Guess so”, Cole was still mildly displeased. Alex didn't care. “You get her back to Zeke. I go and check in on Cross.”

* * *

He left them behind. Cole would be able to deal with the situation now that the Conduit had calmed down, and he needed to meet up with Blackwatch.

The East Bridge was still in a poor condition, but at least there were enough parts present for him to cross the water between the boroughs without actually touching it. Somebody would need to fix this thing eventually, though Alex had the distinct feeling that they were rapidly approaching the end anyways, and he wasn't sure whether there would be anybody left to fix anything after.

Which was why he needed Blackwatch, and Blackwatch needed him. He hoped they would see it too.  _“Pretty sure if we talk to them like real civilized people, they will listen. Rooks ain't Randall. Just keep the claws in.”_

_Wasn't going to use them. I asked them to meet me._

“ _Still, I'll keep an eye on things.”_

_...Thanks._

Heller snorted amused and was still grinning when they finally met face-to-face near the Fort. “Shit's really going to hit the fan if you are thankful.”

“I know when I have to admit that I need help”, Alex replied simply, “And then I am also aware to be grateful if I get what I need.”

Heller mock-faked wiping away a tear. “Little baby's all grown up.”

Alex just lifted the middle finger. Heller snickered, then began following after the Runner. Alex dropped to the ground level, let his hands hang loosely at his sides, and started walking towards the Fort. With Blackwatch there, he didn't want to give them any more reason to shoot him when he just wanted to talk to them. He still tensed the moment he approached the still-broken gate of the massive complex. There were hundreds of men nearby- US Army, Blackwatch, Marines, Air Force, even the Navy, Coast Guard  _and_ Salvation Army- and several helicopters. He didn't see any turrets or tanks, but there were a few D-Codes and heavy weaponry. He  _could_ take them, but that wasn't why he was here.

They didn't know this, and the moment he and Heller made their appearance, a chorus of startled shouts went through the line of soldiers, and in an instant all of Blackwatch stood ready to shoot. Alex heaved a sigh and just lifted his hands. “I'm not here to fight” He had to manage to get his voice level and still audible without actually  _shouting_ , lest he wanted to be shot. It wouldn't kill him, but it would be  _annoying_ . “I want to meet General Rooks. I have information on the Beast!”

Some of the men murmured amongst themselves, others still remained glaring at the Infected- until the lines parted and General Rooks, accompanied by Cross and a personal aide, marched towards them. Heller subconsciously stood straighter, arms crossed behind his back. Alex just grit his teeth and clenched his fists, eyes narrowing on the General before he got a grip on himself and forced his body to relax.

“General”

“ZEUS”, Rooks' eyes wandered slowly to Heller. “HADES”

“Sir”

The General glanced at Alex, then the Blackwatch Specialist. “Colonel Cross informed me you might have data regarding the entity known as 'The Beast'.”

Straight to the point, Alex liked that. He cocked his head. “He's right on that one. I have been there when it first appeared and since then learned a few valuable things.” The Beast also kicked his ass, but Rooks didn't need to know that.

“So?”

Alex growled. “Not that way, General. First I want you to promise to keep Blackwatch and every other unit tied in with or operating under Blackwatch's order  _away_ from me, my sister, Heller and his family, and any of the people we are working with here.”

Rooks furrowed his brows. “What?”

“You heard me. I don't get your word- along with a written statement- and this deal's off.”

Heller shifted behind him.  _“You better know what you are doing.”_

_I am._

Rooks held the Runner's gaze for several seconds, before he motioned for his aide. “Set up a written statement. I will sign it once it is finished.” He glared at Alex. “Satisfied?”

“Almost” He jabbed his chin over his shoulder, catching Heller's eyes briefly. “Go with him. Make sure we won't get fucked over.”

“You get it”, the Evolved agreed. _“I'll give signal if shit's going weird.”_

_Yeah, me too._

Rooks scoffed. “Are you satisfied  _now_ ?”

“Yes.”

“Good. You promised us information.”

Alex cocked his head. “The Beast is a Conduit”

“Conduit?” Rooks cut in, “Like that MacGrath kid?”

“'Like' only in the way that both are Conduits. Other than that, there is nothing they have in common”, Alex growled, then shook his head. “He is an Electric Conduit, the Beast is a Ray Field Conduit. It is directly linked to the Ray Field, a basically endless source of energy- energy it can manipulate to create energy blasts, teleport, generate black holes- and activate Conduits through a massive sacrifice of non-Conduit humans. It also generates large amounts of Ray Field Radiation, which will cause the Plague on contact.” He lifted a finger to stop any possible arguments. “Additionally, it has a lot of physical strength and is capable of turning any amount of matter to dust in an instant. Tearing off its face, or arms, doesn't harm it in any way.”

“A nuclear warhead was useless as well”, Cross added. “It simply put itself back together just a few minutes later.”

“And that leaves us with what?” Rooks demanded to know. “Because so far, all I learnt is that it can't be destroyed.”

“It can't”, Alex agreed. “Not with conventional methods. However- Cole MacGrath also has an object in his possession called the RFI- Ray Field Inhibitor.”

Rooks' eyes narrowed immediately. “Inhibitor- it will cut off the Beast from its energy source?”

“Exactly.” He eyed Cross for a split moment. “It should also stop the Plague, since it too is a lingering Ray Field.”

“Then have it handed over!”

“Won't work. Only a Conduit tuned in to it can even use the RFI. Cole has that one covered.”

The General blinked. “And why are you here then, if you have everything you need?”

“There is one thing I don't have. Time. Blackwatch and I- we can make sure he gets the time he needs to use the weapon.”

“Really?”

Alex pulled back slightly, spreading his arms away from his body.

The entire Fort  _shook_ , cracks appearing in the ground and streets outside, and biolumniscent orange light was peeking through the gaps. Black tendrils skittered across the floor for a moment.  
“I  _am_ the City. I know I can hold the Beast down. But”, he pointed at the General, who had stepped back half a step. “I need  _Blackwatch_ to cover me. As I said, the Beast can destroy any matter within the blink of an eye- but it needs to focus on it. If you keep it occupied on your side, and I on mine, we can keep it in the ropes.” Hopefully long enough for Cole to activate the RFI and end it.

“That doesn't sound very promising”, Rooks growled. “You're asking me to throw away millions of dollars in men, weapon and equipment at this thing for a vague hope of 'maybe'?”

“As far as I remember, this was exactly Blackwatch's MO in Manhattan”, Alex countered easily.

Rooks snorted. “Yeah, those were Randall's tactics, not mine.” He crossed his arms. “You promised  _information_ , and still I didn't see any here.”

The Runner scoffed. “So, what do you want to hear? We got the Beast, which is powered by the Ray Field in itself. The Ray Field is a possible quantum-space-originating source of energy that I have no idea how to work with. Conduits require this energy source to use their powers. Additionally, it is possible to stick Conduit powers to normal humans. How, I don't understand. Doctor Wolfe did, and Bertrand had him killed and most of his work destroyed. I can reverse engineer some of his works, but that isn't enough to recreate the Ray Sphere or the RFI.”

“Conduits are human, right?” Cross threw in. “The Beast too?”

“His name used to be John White. He was a NSA agent. Died during the Empire situation, but apparently managed to link himself to the Ray Field. Meaning, we got to factor in the human angle- I don't know his motivations for all of this however. Doesn't look like normal power fantasies.”

“Well, that's a shame”, Rooks snorted. “Blackwatch isn't in the business of negotiation _or_ comic physics. Our job is to make things dead and protect the remaining population.” He pointed at Alex. “Which makes _you_ priority target number one, Germ. I applause your balls to march in here, but that's about all the praise I can give you.”

The Runner sighed. Why did he expect anything else on that front?  _Oh well, guess we got to do this the hard way._

“ _Mercer-”_

_I know what I'm doing. Mostly._

“ _It's the 'mostly' I'm wary of.”_

“That is your answer?” He cocked his head, and immediately reached out to the stores of Blacklight Biomass nearby, to control them if necessary.

“It is part of my answer”, Rooks shot back, surprising him a bit. “You want Blackwatch to order a joint attack on the Beast, to distract it while your buddy activates this RFI thing, correct?” He snorted. “Well, I am willing to issue a suicidal order like that. But the payment you offered is not enough.”

“I'll leave you alive, that should be payment enough.”

“If you kill us, you won't be getting anything except for an even larger target on your ass.”

Alex watched him intrigued. This was not what he expected from Blackwatch, of all things. “And what would you suggest?”

“Blackwatch gets _you_ , germ boy.” Rooks said simply. Alex bristled, and his eyes narrowed. The General didn't flinch. “You heard that right, if you want us to help you fight a losing battle, you better be ready to deal with the consequences. You belong to Blackwatch. Whether you're sentient or whatever doesn't play into this- _you belong to Blackwatch_. But since you play human, I play along and propose following: You give us regular updates about your current position and whatever you have planned, and we get to draft your ass in whenever we need to in order to deal with infectious outbreaks _and_ the people behind the curtain. In return, we leave your little family alone.”

Alex blinked. “What?”

“Thought you'd be smarter, but apparently you're not.” Rooks folded his arms behind his back. “So I spell it out. You make sure Blackwatch knows where you are and you come heel when we whistle, and Blackwatch will give you full amnesty. No strings attached, no messy surprises.”

“ _Is he...serious?”_

_He is. Not lying, at any rate._

Alex glanced at Cross, who just nodded slowly.  _Fuck. He IS serious._

“ _Sounds like a trap. Would be too easy.”_ Alex scowled. “Where is the catch?”

“There is none”, Rooks pointed out. “Well, almost none. You start another Outbreak, you are back on top of the shoot-on-sight-list. Anything else? As long you don't go too overt, you are free to do whatever it is you do.”

“Why?”

“Why do I offer this?” The General snorted. “After you killed my predecessor and managed to evade us for three years _without_ starting another Outbreak despite several opportunities, I realized that you apparently have no interest in continuing MOTHER's work and it is impossible trying to contain you with force. So if I give you something you want, you'll come along out of your own free will. Saves me from having to recruit new men and trying to explain to my superiors why we've lost another dozen tanks on what was supposed to be a recon mission.”

_Sounds way too good to be true. But he's telling the truth._

“ _Plus, Cross seems to be aware of this. If it was a trap, wouldn't he warn you?”_

Alex glanced at the Specialist. Cross just looked back with a shrug, moving his lips slightly.  _“Far as I can tell, he's being serious about it”_ , he mouthed.

“ _Shit, this is real”_ , Heller whistled. _“What do you think?”_

_I think even if they tried something, they wouldn't be able to do anything._ Alex straightened his spin and turned his attention to the General. “Looks like you got yourself a deal then, General.” He paused for a moment, then held out his hand. “I believe it is courtesy to shake on a deal like this, no?”

Rooks suddenly seemed a little less enthusiastic about it and was watching Alex's palm nervously. Some of the men nearby twitched their rifles a bit higher, until Alex pulled back with a smirk. “Sorry, little humor.”

Rooks' expression became exasperated very quickly, and he couldn't stop himself from pinching the bridge of his nose. “Oh for the love of...”

Alex's smirk shifted slightly as he bared his teeth. “General? One last thing. If you ever betray me, if you ever  _think_ about betraying me, I will kill you. And it won't be quick or merciful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It never made sense that Cole could see the bones of people with his radar senses. I changed it, neural pathways are more likely to contain electricity which he can actually sense.
> 
> Also altered that meeting with that Airbender Conduit. You can't tell me you'd be so cool with surviving an explosion that reduced everybody else to ashes. Just, Alex's Charisma is so low, even with a natural 20 he will screw everything up.


	26. Demons

“Dunbar”

Zeke nearly overbalanced from how fast he whirled around to set his eyes on Dana. The young woman's attention was on her computer, brows furrowed. “How long do you think we need to get to the south docks?”

Zeke blinked, and coughed (this coughing was getting worse, he figured. Must be coming down with something). “Uhm, ten minutes in a car, longer on foot, maybe?”

“Good. Throw on your Militia Uniform. We have to go.”

He was pretty sure he missed something. “Why?”

Dana finally looked at him, expression determined. “I just managed to snatch up a radio conversation. Between his Bond Villainy and who I think is his pilot.” Her eyes seemed to flash. “He's requiring transportation within the next half an hour. He's trying to fly the coop.”

“Say no more, sister”, Zeke dashed off to find his uniform. He really didn't need any more motivation- this was their chance! If they managed to stop this flight out, they had this guy by his balls! (Just in the metaphorical sense of the word, because _eew_ )

He returned just a few minutes later, fixing the last belts, when he found Dana hefting a crowbar, securing a small bag containing a variety of tools to her hip and stowing away a toughbook computer into another bag across her shoulder. “Ready, sister?”

“Ready”

She didn't wait for him to catch up, just hurried down the stairs of their new hideout and rushing out into the street. Zeke was hot on her heels, but had to stop for another coughing fit before he could continue. When he finally caught up, she was already halfway into a car.   
Short-circuiting it.

Zeke's jaw dropped briefly, and he quickly glanced around to see whether there were any witnesses, though it seemed like they were lucky. He quickly slid into the passenger's seat and pulled the door shut, watching how the young woman fiddled with a pair of cables from under the steering wheel. A screwdriver stuck out of the ignition.

“Uh, you sure you know what you're doing?”

“I do. I just need to bypass the cables for the engine and the ignition”, she replied without breaking her focus. “Anti-theft devices only began getting popular in the nineties, and this car's older. Doesn't look like a collector's item either, but rather like it's been pulled from a junkyard and patched up.” Zeke blinked and craned his neck back, seeing the cracked windows and torn upholster.

He snapped back around when the younger Mercer crowed a victorious 'AH-HAH!' and the car came to life. She grinned at him a wide and unhinged, and Zeke swallowed, grabbed the seat belt and just fixed himself in place.

Then she kicked the accelerator and the car lurched to the front.

“Holy shit, Dana!” Zeke squealed in excitement, “Alex teach you that?”

“Nope. College. Friend of a friend of a friend showed it to me”, Dana replied. “Figured it'll come in handy.” She briefly glanced at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “You thought Alex was the only one to get us cars when we needed to disappear? Half the vehicle thefts we did were on me.”

“There are many things I didn't know about you”, Zeke lamented. “I'd-”

“Say 'I'd like to get you to know better', and I will tie your lips into a knot”, Dana threatened.

“Shot down before I made my first move”, Zeke sighed. “Story of my life.”

Dana actually seemed offended. “Dunbar”, She said very slowly. “You are like my brother. And you've seen my brother, no way in Hell I'm ever going to kiss something like that.”

Zeke pouted. “I'm just 'something like that'?”

“Yeah.” She skid around a corner, expression turning serious. “I need you to keep any patrolling assholes off my ass, okay? I'm not bulletproof, after all.”

“Sure, any thoughts how to proceed?”

“The chopper's going to sit right on the docks, likely a bit to the side. If there are guards, I need you to draw them away, or just distract them so they won't notice me fucking up their ride.”

Zeke puffed out his chest. “Don't worry, I can do that.”

“Good” Dana nodded grimly and stopped the car, yanking the screwdriver out of the ignition. “Let's do this.”

Zeke was out of the car and quickly marched across the place, keeping an eye out for the chopper. He found it sitting just off to the side, partially hidden by shipping containers.

There were also a few guards nearby, but not directly next to it. Should be enough distance for Dana to work, he figured. Still, it would be better to keep these guys distracted.  
He put on his best grin, swallowed another coughing fit, produced a bottle of beer from his pocket (he knew it would come in handy one day!) and approached them. “Yo, dudes!”

The two men lifted their heads and eyed him, before realization slowly sank in and they relaxed visibly. “Hey”

Zeke approached them. “Everything alright?” He saw Dana creep from behind a pair of crates to the back of the chopper.

“Nah”, one of the men scoffed. “Shit's fucked sideways. Ever since this Electric Bastard rolled in.”

If there was one thing Zeke was  _really_ good at, it was hiding his emotions well. He barely even swallowed and just cocked his head. “You gotta help me, man, I'm just a new guy. What do you mean?”

The other guy snorted. “I mean that nobody even  _dared_ to challenge us. Bertrand was the king and New Marais was peaceful, you know? We didn't have any murders, or any theft. People left their strollers out in the streets because nobody would dare messin' with them. But now?”

“MacGrath and that Fucker from Manhattan roll in”, the second continued, “And suddenly we have monsters in the streets, and explosions, and the civilians are dying left an right.”

“But ain't the Swamp Things kind of...our pets?” Also, they have been human, but to these men, they have been the lowest bits of mankind anyways.

“I meant those ice freaks. Of course the Swamp Things are our pets, but these fuckers are getting kind of unruly. Gotta put them down sooner or later.” The guy leaned back, patting a very big gun at his side. “Can't say I'm sad about this. It was fun playin' with them, but if it's them or me, I pick me.”

“Besides”, the other added. “They're like super creepy. Didn't know so many assholes were monsters on the inside.”

Zeke's eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he very pointedly  _not_ looked at Dana, who he spied crouching in the cockpit. “Huh?”

“Yeah, Bertrand said he can exorcise the demons that possess these assholes. We shoot them and they will become good civilians again. Until then, they can work for us and redeem themselves.”

They really had no idea what was going on. Zeke would have liked to slap himself, because just  _how_ could they not see this? They were being fed bullshit, and they eagerly ate it all up. He grimaced briefly. “What about the Beast, though? Think Bertrand can beat it?”

“Heck yeah he can. He even offered his protection to this MacGrath bastard, but he slapped away the helping hand. Good grief I say, let those freaks kill each other.”

Zeke took a swig from the beer he brought. It tasted bitter, but at least nobody could see how he swallowed the bile that threatened to rise from his stomach. These men really were idiots. He had hoped that there were a few more like Mikey, but apparently not amongst the hard core of the Militia. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. “So, why are you here anyways?”

“Bertrand needs that chopper”, the left guy commented, jabbing his finger over his shoulder but not looking. Was better that way, because Dana was scrambling along the roof of the helicopter and was doing something to the base of the rotor. “We're making sure it's protected until the pilot makes his appearance.”

“Bertrand leaving the city now?”

“Yeah, of course”, the other guy groused. “With all that shit going on here? He needs to get us some reinforcements. Has to tackle these guys from the outside!”

Idiots didn't even realize Bertrand was running away. Zeke would have sighed or slapped his forehead. He just shrugged. “Sounds like a plan. Besides, if these guys want Bertrand, they'll turn their backs on us, right? Makes it easier to pick them off.”

“Hell yeah, man!” 

Dana gave a quick wave and hurried to get out of sight. Zeke put the bottle down on the ground next to one of the guys. “Here, keep this, I gotta take a leak like pronto-wise.”

“Got a bladder like a hamster, huh?”

“Nah man, just bein' nervous.” Zeke turned and simply walked off, waving to them- and as soon he was out of sight he rushed to the side and away from the compound to quickly strip the uniform off, remaining in his shorts and shirt. Dana met up with him as he was busy stuffing everything into his bag. 

“Shit, thought I'd fry my brain in this stuff”, he groaned.

“Guess that explains why these guys wear this shit”, Dana commented as she unpacked her computer and switched it on. “They got no brain that could fry.”

“You got that right, sister.” Zeke grunted. “Shit, it's worse than I thought. They're brainwashed already, believe in Bertrand as they big leader.”

“Basically like everybody else”, Dana mentioned distractedly. “Hitler or Pots would have never killed a few million people without idiots like that. Mao would have been some small-time idiot. Idiots are integral for a megalomaniac's fantasies. That is why they need to keep their population dumb.”

“But at least we'll get to oust that particular megalomaniac”, Zeke sighed. “Okay, so what do you have? Will the chopper take off?”

“It won't”, Dana grinned and drew a spark plug from her bag, and Zeke could see a few more inside. Her eyes glowed blueish-green in the shade of the shipping containers. “Not without those anyways.”

“Good work. Anything else?”

“Of course”, her grin sharpened. “I got the flight plan and everything. I know where this chopper was supposed to go. Call Cole, we're going to end this bastard.”

* * *

Lisa. Her name was Lisa. She was a teacher, until she contracted the Plague and ended in that Plague Ward. That much had Cole learnt from her when he asked. Had been the only thing he even managed to clearly think about, when everything else in his head was a screaming mess.

Alex leaving was a blessing, too, because he seriously didn't need his attitude now- even if it had helped and Lisa managed to get herself to the ground without his help, Cole still wished the Runner had picked his words more carefully.

Still, even so he realized he had another problem- he couldn't look after Lisa, and she needed rest first and foremost. When he called Zeke, neither he or Dana answered however. He called Alex next, but there was no answer either. Kuo was his third try, and she suggested to contact Laroche. The leader of the rebels agreed to take the newly turned Conduit in so she could try to find herself.

As it was, Sara was still nearby and happily accepted her new role as the other woman's caretaker, as repayment for Cole saving her life.

While Sara was just giving the female Conduit a tour, Cole and Laroche remained outside of this particular safehouse.

“You know that woman?” Laroche questioned.

Cole shook his head. “Never seen her before in my life.”

“Then why care for her like that?”

“It's the right thing to do.” The Electric Conduit sighed. “She has been in a Plague Ward, you know? Then the Beast makes its appearance, blows the whole ward to Hell, and she is the only survivor- just with the Plague gone and replaced for Conduit powers.” He shook his head. “She's likely traumatized, and it is possible she will wake up with nightmares. I did, when I first got my powers.”

Laroche hissed through his teeth. “Is she dangerous?”

“I don't know. I think all she can do is fly, but she's also a Conduit, so she'll have enhanced strength and durability. Please consider this- she might hurt you or Sara by accident.”

“Wonderful” The rebel leader exhaled a trail of smoke and watched it rise into the darkening sky. “Now what? The big guy's here, and we're still alive. Seems weird.”

“It is”, Cole admitted hesitantly. John's parting words echoed inside his head. _Humanity is dead, Cole. Help me save what I can.  
_ Cole wasn't sure about that one. Humanity wasn't dead- sure there had been a few catastrophes- 9/11, various epidemics, Manhattan, Empire, now the Beast- but all of those had been _man-made_. Not a single of them actually made a dent into the overall population, since all of them had been rather localized. If there had been, say, a plague that killed like two thirds of all people, then it would be a reason to think about how to stop it.

...Actually, there  _was_ a plague that killed a lot of people.

_The Plague has spread all over the East Coast, millions are infected. In a few weeks, it will be worse. The Government can't stop this senseless loss of life. You can try to heal her. It won't work however. All these here, they are dead already. The Plague's eating through them as we speak._

Wait. Wait. Had John meant the Ray Field Sickness? Possible. Millions had been affected, millions had died because he killed them when he went to activate the few Conduits between them- saving them in the process.

“Oh fuck”, Cole groaned, leaning back- Laroche eyed him curiously. Cole grimaced when a thought formed inside his head. John went after the people that had been affected by the Ray Field Sickness- he wanted to _save them_. He was ready to sacrifice all those that couldn't be healed if it allowed a few to survive under the right circumstances. 

In his eyes, he was  _preserving_ mankind. Protecting them against an otherwise lethal disease.

A disease caused by Ray Field Energy. The same Ray Field Energy  _he constantly gave off himself_ . 

_But John did not seem to be aware of it_ .

That was the whole catch in the matter- it was  _John_ who unintentionally generated the Ray Field Energy that caused the Plague and made millions sick- and it was  _John_ who sacrificed millions of incurable people in an attempt to cure the few hundreds. Cure them from a disease  _he caused in the first place without knowing it_ .

Shit, he really needed to talk to him about that- but he didn't know  _how_ . John didn't have a phone (or at least not anymore, Cole thought), and he wasn't exactly  _there_ , but rather in some pocket dimension. How should he make contact?

Try calling out for him, like calling for a ghost? Or just wait until he asked him first? It didn't seem like John actually  _knew_ what Cole was thinking, he could only talk to him, wasn't even aware of his answer until he spoke, and that meant that maybe he couldn't transfer his thoughts  _at all_ . Was likely more like he followed him around, invisible and untouchable to everybody else, and just spoke to him directly.

But it didn't seem he was around now.

That train of thoughts came to an abrupt stop when his phone chimed. Cole went for it, mashing the reply button without even looking at the caller ID. “John?”

There was a tense silence at the other end, then Zeke's voice.  _“Uh, no. But I kinda saw you tried callin' me- and who's John? You makin' friends without me?”_

Cole sighed. “No. He's just...I'll tell you later.” He cleared his throat and shifted the phone slightly. “What have you been up to? I couldn't reach you or Dana, and Kuo was busy.”

“ _Well...”_ There was a tone in his voice that told Cole Zeke was being proud of himself. _“Bertrand tried to escape. He won't manage to do so because his chopper fell victim to a 'heinous act of sabotage', by yours truly.”_

Cole blinked. “Really, Zeke?”

“ _Well, I was the distraction, Dana did the sabotage. Gal's dangerous with a screwdriver.”_

“That's awesome!” He paused and quickly added: “You know where he is?”

“ _Yeah, Molloy Building. This is your chance. Get over there pronto. Pretty sure he won't be expecting you.”_

“What about reinforcements? Last time we tackled him it didn't go so well.”

“ _We got this”_ , Dana's piped in. _“You just get to Bertrand's location. Once you get there, we'll have the others on stand-by. Zeke's going to be nearby on his truck for a speedy get-away, too.”_

“I'm on it.” He clicked the phone off. “You got all this?”

“Sure I did”, Laroche's expression was grim. “I'll go check with Robertson, see whether I don't get him to borrow us a police chopper.”

“What for?”

“If Bertrand turns into that Monster Form of his, I'd rather have some distance.”

Cole considered it. “You really want to risk your life if it comes to it?”

“Hell yes. That bastard's been in control for too long, and I can't tell you how many good folks fell victim to him. If there is a chance to help kicking his ass, I'm all for it.” He pulled his phone from his pocket, though turned to Cole before using it. “Molloy Building is nearly in the middle of Gas Works. You can't miss it, it got a huge red-and-white chimney and a helicopter landing pad.”

“I'm on my way.” Cole hurried towards the opposite building, threw out his lightning tether and just yanked himself upwards, using the momentum to keep gliding across the buildings. He could see the chimney from afar already, and picked up his speed.

Cole didn't really think about what he should do if he faced Bertrand. That guy was probably going to be pissed beyond anything, and if that happened, he was going to be knee-deep in angry Corrupted. And the Behemoth.

That...he grimaced as he slowed down somewhat. He had his friends at his side, but the Behemoth was pretty dangerous if he was facing it by himself.  
On the other hand, the others wouldn't let the chance at kicking Bertrand go to waste, and Bertrand likely wasn't going to show himself when there were too many people who wanted to kick his ass around. In other words, Cole was live bait.

And he only too eagerly jumped on the hook.

Oh well. Best not let the Behemoth bite. Because he'd seen the teeth- they could ruin his day if they got him.

Moments later he reached the Molloy Building and circled it to get to the landing pad in the back. He glanced around once and sent out a radar pulse. He didn't sense any other people nearby, which was good, considering the Behemoth could corrupt them with a single breath. He also spotted one figure quickly moving closer to the surface. He felt the golden shimmer that indicated a Conduit, and knew instantly that this was Bertrand. More even, he was alone.

So, obviously, all his guys had run off.

_Perfect_

Cole spotted the only door leading to the landing pad, and quickly went to stand behind it- still far away enough to avoid being hit by it if it opened, but close enough so it would hide him- and waited.

He was quickly rewarded, could hear the steps from the other side, and feel the vibrations in the ground. Then the door was forcefully pushed open, and Cole had to lean to the side to watch Bertrand leave the building and rush towards the helicopter pad, only to stop halfway with widening eyes.

He likely expected his carriage to be present.

He grumbled in his throat and walked along the landing pad, head swiveling from side to side as he watched the sky, like he was expecting the helicopter to arrive any moment soon.

Cole just closed the door with a resounding clap and cleared his throat, Bertrand flinched and spun around to face him. “Your chopper is going to be a little late”, he told him with a smirk, lazily playing with the Amp in his hand.

Bertrand's eyes narrowed to slits. “Took you a while to find me, boy”, he scoffed.

“Yeah, about that- you know my buddy? He could have sniffed you out like, three days ago. He said it was better to let you stir a little in fear, however.” He cocked his head. “I'm inclined to agree, I guess. Are you feeling it?”

“I'm feeling frustrated”, Bertrand replied tensely. “I invested so much into New Marais, and you just tear it all down. Are you happy now, with the anarchy and chaos you've sown?”

“You say 'anarchy', I say I liberated the people. You suppressed them, brainwashed them, turned them into monsters just to have a right on your claims. You took their freedom and security away from them.” Cole cocked his head. “Don't you come at me with your speeches about protecting the city.”

“You don't know what I did, what I endured for this city. What I did to make it safe.”

Cole scoffed, walking closer to the man. “I do. I know a lot about what you've done. But there are a few things that don't make sense. Like, selling Forced Conduits? Why? Thought you have enough money already.”

Bertrand was swaying slightly on his feet, his eyes never leaving Cole's. “It was never about the money. It was about the  _message_ .”

“Oh? Enlighten me, then.”

“The world needs to experience the Evil of our kind.”

Cole blinked, taken back. He hadn't really expected this answer, and more even, Bertrand had admitted he was a Conduit too. He had said 'our' kind. He had included himself. “You're trying to scare people?”

Bertrand snorted. “Of course. Just see what your 'buddy' did to the once great city of Manhattan. Just see what you and the others did to Empire. Just see how many people tragically lost their lives ever since you arrived here.” He straightened his back, eyes narrow, even as he continued to step back. “Conduits must be cleansed from this Earth”

Cole paused. “So you're going to kick start a Genocide” He realized. “Sell Conduits to Warlords, show the people how dangerous they are so they'll start hunting us down, is that is?”

“Conduits are an abomination!” Bertrand spat.

Cole growled, spreading his arms and scowling. “So, do you you really think I'm a demon?” He snapped, “The Demon of Empire City?”

Bertrand only shook his head. “No, Cole. I think we're both demons.” He glanced at him in a way that reminded him of that one teacher he always hated. “Our pride has turned us into monsters.”

Everything came together. “Oh”, Cole just said. “I get it.” He could have laughed if it wasn't so damn  _pathetic_ . “Alex and I wondered why you were keeping your powers hidden. But now I get it. You thought the Ray Sphere would turn you into a shiny superhuman. Like Kessler, the guy that could use 'the fire from Heaven', right?” His smirk turned into a growl. “Instead it turned you into a fifty-foot  _maggot_ . And you couldn't bear it, could you? You were  _jealous_ of Kessler, but he's beyond your reach. So you started all of this here, because your ego couldn't deal with others having better powers than you. Either you get awesome abilities, or nobody gets to have them, no?”

He could see Bertrand's fists clench. “Cole”, he warned. “Don't press me. If I turn into this thing again, there will be blood on both our hands.”

“Blood?” Cole snapped. “ _You_ are the one trying to trick all of humanity into killing everybody with powers!”

“Conduits are not part of the Divine Plan!” Bertram barked at him. “They are a product of science! Fueled my Man's greed and the whispering of the Devil in our ears!”

Cole actually blinked dumbfounded for a moment. “Are you really believing this?” He just questioned. “Are you an idiot? Conduits have always been there, and they would have never been a matter at all if humans weren't so desperate to bash each other's skulls in.” Because without wanting to make weapons, the Beast would have never been created, and Kessler would have never needed to return in time and plant the seed of destruction here. At the same time, the Conduit Gene had always been present, just a tiny glitch on the genetic code, even in mammals far away from humans. It wasn't anything unnatural- just something the Ray Sphere latched onto.

His eyes narrowed and began glowing pale blue, and lightning sparked along his arms and Amp. “Conduits aren't monsters, and powers don't kill people. It the person behind the powers that kills people.” Like guns, powers just allowed people to kill a whole lot of people in a short time. But that wasn't because of the powers, or the guns. That was because the person using them were assholes. Cole growled “It's the assholes that need to be taken out. Conduits and Human alike.” He spat on the ground. “And you- you are a really big asshole. So my friends and I- we're going to take you apart. Slowly, piece by piece.”

Bertrand's eyes narrowed. “Is that so?” Suddenly he spun around and lunged away from Cole, much faster than he'd ever give him credit for, and dropped over the edge of the landing pad.

Cole was about to charge after him, when thick green clouds erupted from below and took his sight for a few tense seconds.

Then the clouds were torn apart and he stared into the multiple tiny eyes of the Behemoth.

* * *

Something was  _wrong_ , Cole realized very fast. It were the eyes of the monster that made him come to that conclusion- when he'd seen it the first time, it had only been an animal. Desperate, hurt, and determined to protect itself, but still only an animal. Now there were hate and contempt in its gaze, and it stared at him a moment too long. 

Cole swore and was moving, just as the Behemoth reeled back and crashed its arm into the landing pad, completely trashing it in a single swing- It was a deliberate attack on him, because this wasn't just the Behemoth- this was  _Bertrand_ in its shape.

Which kind of bumped up his threat level, because seriously? Bertrand's anger and cunning in the Behemoth's body?

Wasn't so great.

Cole rushed to the side, throwing out his lightning tether to drag himself towards the massive chimney that served as his marker, just barely avoiding the Behemoth as he attempted to crush him with a wild swing. The monster roared behind him, and Cole thought he heard his own name in that roar.

Uh-oh, Bertrand was  _pissed_ .

Which was good, since he hopefully wasn't going to think clearly and chase after him; and very, very,  _very_ bad, because it also meant he wasn't going to go easy on him.

He enveloped himself in flames and soared across the sky, getting some distance to the monster at his back, when he noticed a lone truck- and Zeke hanging out of the driver's window. “C'mon, man!”

Cole instantly thrust his body downwards, using his static thrusters to alter his trajectory (and hey, he just figured out how to air-dash!) and threw himself towards the truck. The second he hit the cargo area, Zeke stomped down on the accelerator and the car jerked to the front. He grinned. “Looks like he took the bait. But, uh, Cole? Do you think we need to go slowly so he can catch up?”

Cole watched the Behemoth plow through several smaller constructions, then suddenly stop and digging his legs into the ground as he watched them escape. “I have no-”

The Behemoth trembled slightly, and ducked its body. Cole felt ice run down his back, and without thinking, grabbed the truck with his magnetic field to yank it to the side-

Barely avoiding the Behemoth's sudden brutal charge. The entire fifty-foot monster lunged right past them, overshooting his target and slamming into a fractional column on the side, completely shattering it. He froze for a moment, then spun around to face the truck and roar at it, and yeah, there was definitely  _rage_ in that roar. 

“I think he just got angrier”, Cole deadpanned. “Zeke, keep your foot on the pedal!” 

“Yeah, shit, giant monsters aren't allowed to move that fast!”

Bertrand roared again and stomped after the car in his normal speed, but Cole didn't like the way his eyes narrowed. Suddenly, the Behemoth swung his arm wide and tore another refinery apart, sending pieces of piping and shards of metal flying into their direction. Cole swore under his breath and tried to bounce all of the projectiles back, but succeeded only with those on direct confrontation course. A few hit the ground way too close for his taste, and he could hear Zeke swear.

“Zeke”, he called out, “You want to get out, you can do it! I didn't conscript you into a death march!”

“Yeah, I conscripted myself! But when he goes down, and it'll be our joint efforts! And I want a piece of that cake!”

The Behemoth roared and stopped in its motion, and Cole hissed through his teeth. “Side! Now!”

Zeke didn't question, just yanked the wheel around and darted around a corner, just barely missing another sprinting charge from the massive monster. Another refinery went down in flames, and Bertrand whirled on them, roaring.

“Think he's blaming us for destroying his property?” Cole questioned with a grimace, lifting his hand to fire a lightning bolt at the monster to draw attention. Bertrand roared again and freed himself, scooping up rubble to throw it at them while he was at it.

Zeke managed to avoid the worst of the attack, while the Conduit bounced the smaller parts back. “Guess so. Uh, think the insurance company got a clause for 'Destruction by Monster', or will his private liability pick it up?”

The Behemoth snarled and jerked to the front, spitting a glob of acid at them. Cole manage to hit it in mid-air with his shockwave, but it didn't bounce back. Instead, it splattered- luckily not on them or the car, but everywhere else on the street, where it ate hissing into the asphalt.

“Holy shit!” Zeke cursed, swerving to the side to avoid the worst of the splatter. “You really weren't makin' things up when you said he could puke acid!”

“Why should I make up things like that?!” The Behemoth roared again and stopped, sinking his arms back into the ground. Cole yanked the truck back upwards, just in time to avoid the cluster of tentacles sprouting from the street. “Shit!” He mashed his phone. “Laroche?! Please tell me you got a chopper ready!”

“ _I did. Am watching all of it, and shit”_ , the man exhaled, _“That Bertrand? Holy Hell, thought he'd be a bit smaller.”_ Cole saw a police helicopter swoop down, flying just to the side of the Behemoth, though with enough distance to easily dodge if he decided to jump at them. On that note, he really hoped he wouldn't be able to _jump_ too.

“Sorry to burst your bubble. Next problem there-” Cole had to cut himself off as another cluster of tentacles burst from the street just in front of them, and he had to lift the truck over it. When it dropped back to the streets, the axles made an unholy screeching noise. “Uhm, first of, I don't think our ride will keep on going like this. And second, this time he shifted _voluntarily_ , and I think he got a greater mental capacity with it.” The Behemoth roared behind them and ducked down for another charge attack. Cole swallowed once, then dived to the front to grab Zeke to pull him out of the driver's seat, while throwing a lightning tether upwards to latch onto the helicopter. The moment he reeled himself and Zeke in, Bertrand charged and completely obliterated the truck under his weight. Any slower, and the two of them would have ended up roadkill.

“Good thinkin'”, Zeke gasped somewhat breathless from the rapid acceleration. “Didn't want to end up a pancake.” 

“Yeah”, Cole just grumbled, then helped him scramble into the helicopter. Laroche pulled them in, and the Conduit glanced back downwards where Bertrand grabbed some piping and yanked it free, then chucked it with considerable force after them. Cole managed to bounce it back just in time, but the kinetic energy still rocked the chopper _hard_.

“I have to get back down there”, he growled. “He's after me.”

“Yeah, I know”, Laroche groaned. “But you won't go without some assistance.” He dangled a military radio in front of his face, just in time for a black Apache with a star on its hull to peel out of the dark sky and fly besides their police chopper. “And there's your cab. Give 'em Hell!”

Cole took the radio and clipped it to his bag strap, grinning. “Oh, I will.” He leapt out of Laroche's chopper and clung to the Apache, wrapping his arms around the small side wing just above the missile launcher. He tapped the new radio. “Okay guys, what's the plan?”

“ _The plan is, you will shoot that bastard and we will shoot the bastard and we will repeat it until he's dead”_ , the pilot replied, and Cole recognized him as the man Colonel Blackwatch brought with him.

“Yeah, I can do that.” Cole dragged himself into a little more comfortable position on the wing and glanced down. Bertrand must have noticed him jump vehicles, though he figured he could encourage him. He exhaled and focused on the Behemoth's eyes, then let loose several high-powered Electrical Rockets, all of them hitting the giant Corrupted right in the face. At the same time, the Wiseman Gunner just squeezed the trigger himself, and several aimed missiles hissed from the launchers to impact into the Behemoth's body with deafening blasts.

The effect was...negligible. If Bertrand noticed, he didn't show it.

The pilot snorted.  _“That confirms it, Command. We're going to need something heavier to pierce this bastard.”_

The answer came through the radio in static.  _“We have heavy armament coming your way. Pull back and await reinforcements.”_

The helicopter lurched slightly and got out of distance, Cole nearly complained- and swallowed it immediately when the ground split open and a Hydra rose from the street right in front of the Behemoth, screeching. Bertrand stopped with a surprised yowl, his attention snapping to the Hydra for a second- a second Cole instantly used to fire several rockets at the Behemoth.

The monster snarled and whirled into the direction of the Apache, spitting a glob of acid at it- only for the Hydra to swing its body into his front leg  _hard_ . Bertrand stumbled, and the acid missed the chopper by yards.

He roared again and turned his attention on the Hydra with a snarl. His claws shot out and seized the smaller infected securely, and he just  _yanked_ back with all his strength, tearing the Hydra right in halves with a victorious howl.

Cole grimaced. “Uh, that didn't look too good.”

The Behemoth roared and flung the remains of the Hydra into their direction, though the pilot easily pulled the helicopter out of the way and the Infected hit a gas silo, tearing it apart- and the friction blew the entire complex sky-high. The blast deafened Cole, though he could still hear Laroche's cheer from his phone.  _“Hah! He's taking down the Gas Works by himself! All his money's tied up here, you know?”_

“Well, guess he won't be needing it after today”, Cole replied with a grin. And then he paused, because Bertrand likely _knew_ this. And he didn't give a shit- which translated into a bad situation.

Another Hydra crashed through the street and screeched at Bertrand, closely followed by a second. The Behemoth snarled and stepped back, then charged and tackled his entire body into one of them to tear it apart. The second didn't care at all, just grabbed a gas tank off the ground to chuck it at the Corrupted. Fire spewed into every direction, and the pilot pushed the Helicopter back down so the gunner could fire another volley of rockets at the monster. Cole wasn't about to sit around do nothing, and just fired a few flaming grenades on his own, though neither projectile actually did anything to the beast's armor.

Bertrand roared and was about to charge again, when a small shape hit him with full velocity. The beast stumbled, and Cole's radio chirped.  _“Get down there, MacGrath”_ , Colonel Blackwatch's voice ordered.  _“The heavy armaments have finally arrived, time to take this bastard down.”_

“On it.” Cole threw a wide grin at the pilot and gunner and gave them a thumbs-up, before he pushed off and dropped towards the street far below. The second he made contact with the asphalt, he forced groundspikes made of ice erupt from the ground and crash into Bertrand's lower extremities. The Behemoth didn't seem to notice it, asides from stopping briefly to regain his footing. 

Then something black collided with his head with so much force, the entire monster was thrown off his feet and sent crashing on top of a warehouse- splattering black tar that instantly caught fire in a massive eruption.

Icy spikes rained from above, and another gas tank came flying at the inferno to increase the destruction. Even at a distance Cole felt his eyebrows singe.

He only grinned. Nix appeared in in a pillar of flames. Kuo materialized from icy mist. Heller hit the floor with a growl. Alex reshaped himself from black tentacles sprouting from the ground.

Cole cracked his knuckles. “Let's finish him.”

* * *

The second Bertrand turned into the Behemoth, Alex had known immediately.

_Blackwatch_ had known immediately, and Rooks had the Wisemen set out to destroy the source of the Swamp Beasts. As test? Alex figured it was, or maybe for the rest of Blackwatch to finish getting their shit together, though he welcomed that the General didn't order him or Heller to stay. 

None of them ever developed a real plan for a situation such as this, though the common idea was 'lure Bertrand into an open area without any civilians and keep him there'. Gas Works were perfectly suited as kill ground, so all they had to do was to keep Bertrand inside this area.

Something Alex was sure he had under control as he relocated his Biomass there and summoned Hydras. He felt the loss of two of them, muffled and maybe a little painful, but in total it didn't hurt any more than, say, accidentally slipping a knife while cutting up vegetables.

He had enough mass to spare, but as it was, the Hydras weren't useful for anything other than slowing down the Behemoth and allowing the others to catch up.

And catching up they did. Cole was the first, but the others were close-by and added their own devastating blows to the cacophony without any additional input.

Only, Bertrand didn't really seem to care, because the moment he lifted himself from the inferno, he barely seemed any worse for wear. If a little more pissed.

The Swamp Beasts that suddenly emerged from the swamps around them took them by surprise- and it confirmed a suspicion Alex harbored. The Behemoth controlled some form of Hive Mind, one that likely only worked one way.

Didn't matter. Alex scoffed as the Corrupted drew closer, and lashed out his Whipfist to rip through the closest of them. “Okay, so I got a question”, he began casually. “Who gets the Swamp Monsters to keep them away from our human allies, and who gets to punch the big guy?”

“Wy decide, man?” Nix groused. “A'd say we punch wateva moves!”

“Good plan”, Cole agreed. “Just, try not to punch anything that looks human.” Nix arched one eyebrow and lightly hit Alex's shoulder, obvious disregarding the fact they were right in the middle of battle. Cole groaned. “You know what I meant. And besides-” His voice was drowned out by the roar of the Behemoth, “I think we kind of forgot something?”

Alex just rolled his eyes and spun on his heel, lashing out his Whipfist and tearing through another group of Corrupted. Bertrand snarled and ducked, and Cole paled. “Dodge!” Was all he yelled before he dashed to the side. Kuo fell apart in icy mist, Nix teleported away, Heller and Alex leapt upwards to avoid the sudden brutal sprinting charge.

“He hadn't done that before”, the Evolved pointed out helpfully. “Sprinting and throwing shit, I mean”, he added as both airdashed to the side to avoid a flying truck.

“I think he triggered his transformation voluntarily this time”, Alex assumed when they hit a roof hard. “I mean, _I_ would if it would give me an edge.”

“And he retained his intellect this time”, Heller finished. “Oh well, nothing's better than fighting a monster that _knows_ you're going to wreck its shit.” He cracked his knuckles and switched to Musclemass. “You think you can consume him right now?”

“Probably, but it would make things easier if we soften him up first.” Alex replied. Bertrand was going to be just like Greene, he figured- they had to weaken him so he could consume the Behemoth without resistance. “Also”, he added with a grin, “It's more rewarding if all of you get to hit him, no?”

“And that is what good team playing looks like”, Heller laughed. He grabbed a transformer, simply yanked it out of its mounting, and threw it with full force at the Behemoth's head. “Hey ugly! Over here!”

Bertrand snarled and jerked to the front, spitting globs of acid at them. Both men easily dodged, letting the liquid splatter against the roof. Alex whistled at the sight of it eating into the concrete. “Not bad, works fast.”

“Yeah, but it's _acid_.” Heller scoffed. “If it were lye, I'd be worried, but _acid_?”

“Let's avoid getting any on us anyways”, Alex suggested. Mostly because healing chemical burns sucked more than healing heat burns.

Suddenly there was the crack of thunder, followed by the roar of fire, and when both snapped around, they noticed the Behemoth and several of his Corrupted enveloped in flames. Nix and Cole were nearby, and the Fire Conduit waved at them. “Ha! Ya was too slow! Firs' blood is on us!”

“First Blood doesn't decide the game”, Alex fired back. 

“No”, Cole agreed, slamming his Amp flat against the ground to summon a wall of ice groundspikes and skewer some of the Corrupted that survived the flash fire. “But if we don't take him down, he will just escape again.”

“He won't”, the Runner grinned, and another few Hydras sprouted from the street around the block. His eyes narrowed as he turned his attention slightly towards the Evolved. _Target his legs._

“ _Already on it”_ , Heller rushed to the front, using Cole's wide arcs of electricity as cover, and slammed into Bertrand's front leg. The Behemoth snarled and had to side-step to avoid losing his balance, but one of his hind legs suddenly got trapped in a large wall of frost, and he hissed in pain as Kuo flit past his face to target his eyes with shards of ice. 

Alex shot skywards, tackling into the Conduit and yanking her out of range when Bertrand swiped his massive arm at her. The Behemoth missed them by mere inches and tore another fractional column apart like it was paper.   
Kuo made a startled noise, but quickly replaced it for a grunt. Alex let her go- she dissipated and turned into mist to get into a better position, while he kicked against the air to curl up and thrust himself back into the Behemoth's face like a cannon ball. The Runner hit the monster with the force of a freight train, snapping his head to the side and sending the entire creature stumbling. The Behemoth howled in pain as parts of his armor snapped. Alex didn't bother with it, just kicked off its shell and shot back skywards, curled up and crashed himself back into the Behemoth before he even regained his footing.

He lunged off his body the next second, just in time to avoid being burnt alive when the Blackwatch Apache swooped down and peppered the weakened shell with unguided missiles. The armor continued to crack and break, but stayed in one piece for the most part. Bertrand still yowled and staggered, then suddenly whirled and threw up globs of acid at the chopper, though it pulled away easily and the monster got a volley of Javelin missiles into his stomach for his troubles.

Alex altered his trajectory and hurled himself downwards, breaking the fall in the last moment with a glide and setting on the ground more gently just besides the Wisemen. Cross's face was hidden behind the Blackwatch standard gas mask, though even without seeing his eyes Alex knew the man wasn't even looking at him as he reloaded his missile launcher. “This is your plan? Just hitting the big fucker until it dies?”

Alex shrugged. “So far it worked with everything else, no?”

“It's working too slowly for my taste”, Santos growled. “This bastard's laughing off all our missiles.” Not entirely true, but he could see her point- it would take an ungodly amount of explosives to get through this shell. He remembered the first fight with this thing from Heller's point of view. 

“Target the elbow joints”, the Runner told them. “And the inside of the mouth and chest.”

“The inside-?” Jackson snapped towards him briefly. Without his mask, Alex figured, he would see the puzzled expression. “How are we-”

Alex cut him off, casually pointing at the Behemoth. “Watch” Bertrand reared and flared open his chest to inhale deeply. The Wisemen swore, though the Behemoth was faster than they had their launchers targeted and belched up a massive cloud of obnoxious green gas.

The same cloud that turned humans into Corrupted, though Alex wasn't worried, because Cole was there and swung his Amp in a circle to create a twister of ashes. Its force was greater than that of the Behemoth's breath, and tore the gas cloud apart. Whatever remained was diluted enough for the Wisemen's masks to filter out. Redstone still swore under his breath. “Holy shit, it's  _rank_ !”

“Yeah, but you're also not turning into one of these fuckers”, Anders simply pointed out as he fired two salves at a Swamp Beast to kill it. “So I'd say shut the fuck up and count your blessings.”

Alex lunged to the front, claws blazing as he bore down on a small pack of the Swamp Beast. They whirled and tried to swing their bladed limbs at him, but he had taken blows from things way larger and stronger than these glorified clay pigeons. They simply fell apart under his talons, and he didn't even slow down as he continued his rampage across the street and through at least two dozen other Swamp Beasts before their numbers had mostly collapsed and he kicked off the floor to leap at the Behemoth. Bertrand snarled and tried to swipe at him in mid-air, but Alex easily dodged to the side, then altered his trajectory to slam into the monster's face. He dug his claws into the lower-most eye as he braced himself. The Behemoth jerked and screeched, and Alex jabbed his free hand into his lower jaw, turning it into a loose collection of tentacles that wrapped around the teeth and pulled the monster's mouth open.

He didn't even need to yell for Cole when the Conduit already fired several bolts of lightning straight into the Behemoth's maw. Bertrand choked and stumbled back, finally slamming his arm into Alex to force him to let go.

Which was fine in its own way, because it meant Alex was nowhere near the Behemoth when another hailstorm of Hellfire Missiles impacted into the massive Corrupted. The shell absorbed most of the energy, but only  _most._

There were cracks all over the armor. Not enough and not deep enough, but they were  _there_ .

Lightning cracked into the Behemoth's face again, and the monster reeled and roared. Alex dived towards his feet, slamming into the ground and wrenching a Devastator from his Biomass. Story-tall black spears ripped through the insect-like legs, tearing one apart and injuring the others. Bertrand stumbled with a pained howl, though he jerked to the front and burrowed both arms into the ground. Alex dodged to the side easily the moment the Behemoth's tentacles broke from the ground.

Tar flooded across the street, and he just got to the side completely when a Javelin Missile impacted into the ground and turned the entire street into a blazing inferno. Alex saw Cross just lower the missile launcher and nod curtly at Nix. The Conduit grinned and vanished in a puff of smoke while the Wisemen retreated backwards half a block when the Behemoth staggered upright with an enraged roar.

Alex shifted to Musclemass and rushed to the other end of the closer area where he'd seen a tanker, picked it up and hefted it over his head as he dashed back towards the street. The Behemoth hadn't moved much in that short time, but swung around as fast as his damaged legs allowed him and just spat another wave of acid at him. Alex grit his teeth and chucked the tanker to the front, catching the acid at the same time. It devastated his upper surface almost immediately, but it didn't stop him. Instead, he cut off everything that was affected and discarded the dying matter, healing the damage within a blink of an eye.

Bertrand wasn't as lucky, and the tanker hit him square in the chest and blew up. The Behemoth stumbled and choked. At the same moment, Heller tackled into the hind legs and snapped one like a dry twig. The Behemoth roared in pain. Alex just snorted and curled up to throw himself at the monster in that moment, impacting hard into its front just as the tanker had done.

Bertrand toppled backwards. Slow at first, then faster and faster once his point of balance was no longer beneath his body.

Half of Gas Works shook as the Behemoth hit the ground  _hard_ , with Alex on top of him. The Monster screeched and thrashed as he tried to heave himself back upright, but half of his legs were so badly damaged, they weren't going to take his weight anyways.

Alex snarled and slammed his paws against the chest gap and started to  _pry_ . The Behemoth realized what he was trying to do and threw his arms out, trying to grab the Runner and stop him or...anything really.

_Heller!_

The Evolved came out of nowhere and slammed into the Behemoth's left arm with immense force, making the monster stop struggling briefly. Nix hit the other arm in that moment, though with a much higher speed and a spark of ember and smoke. The Behemoth roared and arched upwards, trying to throw them off- and the Apache swooped down and fired at the monster's face.

It distracted him long enough so Heller could wrench the arm down and slam it against the street, while Nix managed to do the same, albeit with some help from the Wisemen's D-Code. Cole and Kuo appeared besides them, with both Conduits summoning shackles of their respective element to keep Bertrand's arms pinned against the ground.

It was obvious it wasn't enough- until the Hydras down the street pulled back only to emerge besides the Behemoth. With a screech, three of them slammed down, draping themselves across the arms and his throat to effectively cut him off from any movement.

Alex scoffed and unraveled his arms into massive tentacles like he'd done before, digging all of them into the crack inside the Behemoth's chest- and  _heaved_ .  
The ribcage creaked and slowly started to spread open. The Behemoth wailed and snarled, tried to wriggle free or bite at him- but he was fastened to the ground, and the muscles keeping the ribs  _together_ were weak. With a hollow  _crack_ and a pained shriek from the Behemoth Alex wrenched the monster's chest open, revealing the lungs.

A terrible grin split his face and his white teeth shone in the darkness. “Time to  _eat_ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we got that old goat off our backs. Added a few things to the original conversation, along with exactly how Zeke sabotaged the chopper.
> 
> The thing about the Beast/John is something I found strange when I listened to their dialogue. It seemed that either John had no clue he was the source of the Plague, or he was deliberately lying about it.
> 
> Also adding a bit here about this nice saying 'Guns don't kill people'. Yeah, but guns help you kill a whole lot of people. Don't know why this is even a discussion when it is clear that if you can't trust a monkey with a stick, you don't give it an even bigger stick with rustly nails in it.


	27. Death Toll

Getting a front-row seat to Alex's consumption was both nauseating and nightmare-inducing, yet Cole was unable to look away.

He couldn't, even if he really wanted to- but he had to  _see_ it. Had to make sure that Bertrand got what he deserved, even if it was the most horrible end he ever imagined.

...He really shouldn't have looked.

When Alex pried open the Behemoth's ribcage, his wails had gotten a distinct panicked tone, and Cole physically winced, because it had sounded similar to a trapped puppy or kitten. Something cute begging for help.   
But that wasn't anything cute, it was  _Bertrand_ , the leader of the Militia, brain behind the torture of Kuo and the abduction and murder of thousands of people, being currently a fifty-foot-abomination. 

And still Cole felt his stomach turn on itself. Especially when Alex dug his tentacles into the Behemoth's ribcage and the Conduit arched and howled in pain when black started tearing across his body. The Hydras growled too, and suddenly fell apart in massive tentacles themselves to wrap around the Behemoth even tighter. Heller made a noise and hopped backwards now that Blacklight had complete control over the situation, the others followed themselves, leaping away with expressions in various shades of green.

There was a hollow  _crack_ somewhere, loud enough for some glass nearby to rattle, and the Behemoth's body contorted in on itself, was torn apart and twisted unnaturally, even as parts of it remained solid for longer than the parts around them. Some parts caved in, others exploded in tendrils, and all of it was covered in an ever-shifting mess of black organic ropes that twisted and curled in on themselves like angry snakes.

And the Conduit was screeching the whole time. It seemed to draw out  _forever_ , even though it were maybe five to ten seconds at most, and everything fell silent after one last snapping noise and what was a soft gurgle. The black tendrils snaked away into the underground again, and Alex rose to his full height with an unhinged grin on his face. “Happy now, Bertrand? Not a Conduit anymore.”

Heller grunted. “You're seriously fucked up, you know that?”

“I am aware.”

Nix exhaled shakily, fists clenched at her side. “Is it done?” She asked. “'E's dead, no?”

“As dead as possible”, Alex replied. “Sorry that you couldn't be the one to do him in-”

“Is okay”, she waved him off. “E's dead an' dat is all dat matters.”

She definitely was  _not_ okay, and that was plainly obvious. Cole put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It doesn't feel like victory, right?”

Nix snorted. “Ya rigt. 's like”, she waved her hand briefly. “'ollow. Doesn' matter, ya get?”

“It doesn't”, he agreed. “Believe me, I've been there. You kill big bad, and then realize that killing big bad doesn't solve any of your problems. The people you lost are still gone and will never come back.” Trish never did.

“A know”, the Fire Conduit sighed. “Is just...” She trailed off with a half-hearted shrug and a heavy sigh.

“If it helps you”, Heller threw in, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at Alex, “ _He_ could transform into Bertrand and you could kick his ass as many times as you want.”

The Runner snorted. “I'm pretty sure we got more pressing matters, no?”

“What pressing matters?” Laroche approached them, arms thrown so far to the sides he nearly smacked Zeke in the head. Both were grinning like idiots. “You guys did it! You just took out Bertrand! We should call everybody together, have a big party!”

Cole couldn't really stop the grin forming on his face at Zeke's enthusiasm, though he tried smothering it the moment Colonel Blackwatch and his team made an appearance. He nodded at them as a way of thanks- they had been pretty vital in keeping Bertrand occupied with all those explosives anyways.

“Big party, what for?” Cross grumbled as he plucked his mask off and shoved it under his arm against his hip. “That we've killed a giant monster?”

Figures Blackwatch wasn't moved by that. Giant monsters were probably a monthly occurrence in their job. Cross waved his hand slightly. “Pretty sure Mercer's right, though. We can't relax just now. What's the state on the RFI?”

The...right. Cole swallowed and pulled the sphere from his bag, glancing at it. It was still in a pristine condition, but using it would mean...killing John. John White, who came back from the dead.

John White, who was also the Beast. The one that destroyed Empire and half of the East Coast. The one that they came here because of to stop.

Cole groaned. What was he supposed to do?

Kuo's voice piped up. “Cole?” He eyed her, and she pointed at the RFI. “Is it just me or is the RFI glowing?”

“Huh?” He glanced at the sphere and yeah, it was definitely glowing- well, more than usual. Did that mean it was ready? Could he use it?

... _Did_ he want to use it? John was his friend, after all, and maybe he could just talk to him?

The RFI still sat in his hands like a paperweight, despite glowing a little stronger. Was he relieved or frustrated?

“Doesn't work”, he grumbled as he shoved it back. “Guess I still need a Blast Core or two.”

“Strange, didn't Wolfe say you would only require about half a dozen?” Kuo questioned, “But you already absorbed six, so...”

“We assumed I absorbed six”, Cole corrected her. “Remember the Transfer Device in Phillipe? We all absorbed it, so it could be it only counted like, half. Or a third of one.” Which meant he needed another Blast Core. _At least_. “Any of you know where I might find one?”

Zeke grimaced, and cleared his throat forcefully. “Pretty sure we won't get any more intel from the Militia. I mean, Bertrand's dead now, but they've been falling apart ever since our stunt at the rail yard. No chance there.”

“We could check”, Heller suggested. “We're faster than you, you know. Right, Mercer?”

Alex looked up. “What? Oh. Right.” He nodded. “I'd like to try something, but I got the time to check things out.” He fell silent briefly. “We'll see what we can find. Hang tight.”

“You don't need any help?”

Heller grinned. “Right now, we got the best view of the whole city.” He slapped the Runner's shoulder. “C'mon. Let's get going. You can try out whatever you've gotten from Bertrand.”

Alex just shrugged and followed after the Evolved as he leapt upwards and vanished behind the remains of a refraction column. Cole heard Cross grumble under his breath, but that was cut of quickly by a deep sort of cough that reached the lungs.

“Zeke?” Cole turned to his best friend, who stood bent over and gasped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Shit man, you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah”, Zeke panted, “Just give me a minute.”

Cole's brows furrowed, and he sent out a radar pulse, focusing to decrease its range and increase its output. Kuo and Nix behind him glowed brilliantly gold. Everybody else...not so much.

But there was a whole lot of  _red_ inside their nervous systems.

Less so with Laroche's men, they probably didn't feel anything other than a constant itch in their chests; but the Wisemen? Zeke?

There was so much red inside of them, like he'd seen in the lazaret. Cole hissed. “Jesus, why didn't you tell me, Zeke?”

Zeke waved him off. “You got enough to worry about.”

“Enough-?” Cole nearly choked on his own spit. “Zeke. This is the _Plague_ you've contracted. The _Ray Field Sickness_. You'll be _dead next week_!”

“Might be. Might not be”, Zeke replied. “The RFI might cure me, no?”

“Cure _us_ , you mean”, Colonel Blackwatch threw in with a somewhat exasperated look. Cole could feel the Plague inside him and his entire team too- excluding the Supersoldier, though the pilot and the gunner didn't seem to have progressed as far as the others had.

Zeke only blinked. “Wait, you guys too?”

The Blackwatch Captain yanked her helmet off just to roll her eyes. “Yes,  _us_ . We've been in that fucking cloud too, and as a result, our lungs are falling apart.”

“You guys are looking way better than me!” Zeke countered, “Not even coughin'. What's your secret? Virus juice?”

“Hard drugs”, Colonel Blackwatch replied simply. “I threw up blood this morning and I can hear my kidneys weep, but it helps us get through the pain the Plague causes.”

Cole grimaced. “I don't know. If my lungs were dying, I'd be doing some chilling, not running around and gunning down monsters.”

“That's the difference, MacGrath”, the Captain gave back. “We are Blackwatch. We burn our own to hold the Red Line. Doesn't matter if it's against a zombie virus, or mutants.”

“Conviction, I like that in a woman”, Zeke agreed with a nod. The Captain's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Zeke luckily got the message.

Laroche, however, did not, because he was still grinning and slinging his arm around the closest Wiseman. “Aw, don't be like that! We just beat Bertrand, and you've been pretty important during the whole shebang. My guys can really learn a thing or two about Monster Wranglin' from you guys!”

“Pretty sure you won't need those skills anymore”, Kuo pointed out. “Not after today. Bertrand's gone, and there won't be any new Swamp Beast. It's only a question of time until they're wiped out.”

“And that's exactly what we need some expertise for”, Laroche countered. “Unless you super secret military people want to help out?”

Colonel Blackwatch only snorted. “They won't be any trouble. Bertrand was their focus, and without him, they really are just glorified clay pigeons. Killing them will be easy now. The Corrupted aren't our job anymore. The Beast is the only target left.”

The Beast. Who was John White and had been Cole's friend.

John, who wanted Cole to help him save the world.

By activating the few infected Conduits and as such, saving them from the Plague- the Plague the Beast generated in the first place and that could be stopped with the help of the RFI.

They just needed one more Blast Core to hopefully activate the sphere, stopping the Plague and the Beast.

Saving the World meant killing John White, then. But John was his friend.

Just like Zeke.

Saving one meant killing the other.

There had to be some other way, God damnit. Something that wouldn't force him to decide. Cole growled and clawed at his own scalp in frustration. There had to be a way, some way--

“Ya lie, Cole, wy ya lyin'?” He flinched at the sound of her voice, and the sensation of her hand on his shoulder. Nix stood besides him with an irritated expression. Then her words settled in and he blinked in confusion. “Lying? Me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Firs' ya tell mah not to tink too much, den ya turn around an' tink too much yaself. Was de matter?”

“Shit is still complicated”, he grumbled. “There's still so much to do-”

“Den make it easier”, she cut him off with a huff. “Was is de firs' ting ya 'aff to do?”

He furrowed his brows. “I need to stop the Beast. That's why I came here in the first place.”

Nix scoffed. “Nah. Das ya last ting to do. Ya tink too much. Like  _Reine des Glaces._ Always lookin' at de whole picture. But das wrong. Wat do ya 'aff to do  _next_ ?”

Cole blinked and cocked his head as he thought about it. “Use the RFI? No. Get the next Blast Core.”

“Good. Nice an' easy, rigt?”

“Problem there, I don't know where the next Core is.”

“But das wy Alex an' 'Eller are gone for, no?” She shrugged. “An' 'til dey come back, ya can stop tinkin'.”

“I can't- there is still so much-”

She cut him off. “Was is dere left to do? Bertrand's dead. De Ice Freaks are quiet for now. De Swamp Tings are gone. De city no longer 'ates ya.” She huffed out. “An' jus' look. Ya worry, an' ya will get done nothin'. Ya gotta do small steps, man, an' stop tryin' to do all by yaself. Ya got a lotta help, Cole.”

Cole blinked. Nix was right- He had been too busy worrying about things he still had to do and didn't realize what he already managed- what  _they_ already managed. 

When they first came to New Marais, everybody out there wanted their blood, they had no idea what to do, the Militia was an ever-present near indestructible force, neither Alex nor Cole had their powers. Now, the people of New Marais were at their back, Bertrand was gone, the Militia exposed, Alex and Cole not only got their powers back but also improved them, and they also got a bunch of allies on top of it.

It had seemed impossible at first, too. Would the Beast just be as easy in the end? Small steps, Nix said.

Yeah, he could do small steps. And he didn't need to do them himself- he had his friends and allies. Together they would be able to finish this.  
All he had to do was trust in them.

Nix grinned. “See? Ya gotta take small steps, man, an' stop tinkin'.” She held out her hand towards him. “Now come. Looks like Laroche got a party ready, an' a don' wanna miss it.”

Cole threw a glance to the remaining crowd, and really, the Rebel Leader seemed to have thrown together an impromptu victory celebration, and even roped like two thirds of the Wisemen in, as well.

Guess that wasn't his decision anymore. But that was okay, Cole thought. They really deserved a party if they wanted one.

* * *

The call came exactly one hour and forty-two minutes later. Cole was near Zeke and Kuo when his phone chimed.

“ _We got a Blast Core”_ , Heller said simply.

Cole was wide awake in an instant, the three or so bottles of beer he'd ingested forgotten. “Where?”

“ _Meet us at the Third Street Dock”_ , the Evolved commented. _“Maybe bring some assistance along.”_

“Why?”

“ _Blast Core's in the hands of the Vermaak. Pretty large group. Usually we'd jump at that, but I figured you'd want to have the honors?”_

“On my way.” He switched the phone off and climbed to his feet. Kuo arched one eyebrow. “The Vermaak got the last Blast Core?”

“Yeah. Heller said I might need some assistance.” He cocked his head. “Hey, you and Nix want to come along?”

“Beat up de Ice Freaks? Damn, a'm down for it!” The Fire Conduit seemed to materialize out of nowhere, startling Zeke with her sudden appearance. “Didn' get a good shot at Bertrand, no? Holdin' 'im down don' count.”

“I'm in too”, Kuo decided, crossing her arms. “These guys have _my_ powers. I'd like to have them back.”

Cole grinned. “Sure. The more, the merrier, right?” Plus, it would make a good time to further try out their teamwork. Distracting Bertrand and taking out the Swamp Beasts had been a nice beginning, though he felt the three of them had never really worked together.

He was just too glad for this chance, so he told Zeke in short broad strokes about what was going on before they left. On that note, Cole was still mildly jealous of the other two Conduits and their quicker way to travel, Kuo with her icy mist form and Nix with her near-teleportation (which was just very fast movement for a short moment)- though he was pretty sure the latter one was actually possible for him eventually. Kessler could do it, after all.

However, right now he was the last to approach the dock. Kuo and Nix were already present, as were Alex and Heller. Cole cleared his throat when he hit the ground. “So, what do we have here?”

Heller just lazily gestured with a small pair of binoculars towards the massive frozen towering complex to the very east of Gas Works. Has probably been reclaimed land, artificially created islands to build warehouses on. “The last remaining Vermaak have crowded together there. They have a leader of sorts, and he has the Blast Core.”

“What are they planning?” Kuo questioned, eyes narrowing on the crowd as she took the binoculars to spy on them. Cole could spot the tiny shape of one heavily armored guy with the glowing Core in his hand.

“I think they are attempting to bring the Core into an exposed area”, Alex pointed out. “Hoping to let lightning strike it.”

“Lightning?” Cole blinked.

“Storm's comin'”, Nix grumbled. “Around 'ere, dey come outta nowere. But ya can feel it comin', no?”

Come to think of it, yeah. There had been a pleasant buzz at the back of his head, though Cole always thought it was the beer. It made more sense he could feel the electricity hidden within a storm cloud, though.  
At the same time, he realized it also made sense that these guys wanted to attract lightning. The Blast Cores were activated with an electrical current, and lightning bolts, despite being short-lived, should pack enough power to make the Core useable. To release its energy into the closest Conduit.

Cole wondered whether it would actually work on the Vermaak, however. They were  _not_ Conduits, after all.

He grit his teeth. “If they manage to fix themselves, what would it mean for  _us_ ?”

Heller grunted. “I guess they'll stop turning into mindless idiots, but keep their abilities. And  _that_ would render them extremely dangerous, since they aren't, you know, especially  _nice_ guys.”

“Wouldn't it be very...inhuman to doom them to an existence that has them going insane?” Kuo questioned.

“It is”, Alex agreed. “But we don't know if consuming the Blast Core will actually fix them. At worst, we lose the Core and they continue degrading.” He cocked his head. “If you want to help them, kill them quickly.”

“A don' see a problem dere”, Nix declared. “Dey was only trouble.”

“And if it actually _helps_ them...” Cole trailed off with a grimace. He wasn't one to kill, but sometimes, it was the best choice for everybody, including the targets. “Hey Kuo, you want out, I understand completely-”

“I didn't say I wanted out”, the NSA agent sighed. “It's just _cruel_. I mean, yes, the Vermaak are a bunch of mercenaries. More even, they are pretty bad mercenaries, doing things no other merc would ever do. Some probably deserved a death sentence, but it's just...” She trailed off with a shrug. “They didn't ask for any of this, and without Bertrand they wouldn't be here and our problem in the first place.”

“But they are here and they are threats to the people of New Marais”, Heller claimed. “Best bet would be if we manage to turn them back to normal, but seeing as they are basically corpses with ice powers, I'd say that train's long gone.” He was silent for a moment, then furrowed his brows. “If you don't want to outright kill them, just knock them out. Mercer and I will do them in once you've left. Better deal?”

“Makes me feel better” Cole agreed. “You guys in?”

“Am in”

“As am I.”

“You guys?”

“We had enough fun already”, Alex shrugged. “They are all yours. Remember, they are made of ice. Fire and heat will work well to take them down. Kuo”, the woman glanced at him a little surprised. “They have _your_ powers, so it is entirely possible you can absorb it directly out of their bodies, much like Cole can do with sources of energy.” He clapped his hands together and rocked back on his heels. “That said, enjoy beating them up. And...don't think too hard about what's going to happen to them afterwards.”

Cole grinned and cracked his knuckles, managing to swallow the bile in his throat. “We will.”

He kicked off the ground and catapulted himself sky-high with a frost pillar, then thrust himself to the front with a short static thruster to envelop himself in flames and soar through the thick and humid night sky. Cold crawled along his back and when he turned his head, he could see the misty cloud that was Kuo float besides him. Nix's presence was easily noticeable because of the puffs of smoke that trailed after her.

Both of them became solid again once Cole hit the frozen ground. His eyes narrowed on the  _shit_ load of ice freaks around, and lightning snapped out of his wrists to wrap around his arms. He just glanced at his companions once and nodded slightly- and rushed to the front.

The Ice Freaks noticed him immediately, and he felt more than he saw about half a dozen approach them from all sides.  _Only six? They're not taking this serious_ .

A beam of ice tore through the ground besides him. Cole kicked off and catapulted himself upwards with an ice pillar, high enough so he could see the guy who shot him.   
He threw his hand out and fired one powerful missile at him, shattering him on contact. The recoil of his own attack also flung Cole backwards, but icy mist enveloped him and put him securely on the ground.

“Thanks, Kuo”

“Always”, she grinned in reply, just becoming solid for a split second to do so. She was gone the next second. A few yards further to the left fire erupted from beneath a pair of men, forcing them to dodge to the sides. Nix's cackle was all they heard before a second, much larger fire took out both of them.

Cole let himself be drawn into the mayhem, adding his own lightning bolts into the chaos Nix caused. Somebody fired another beam of ice at him, but Kuo was there again and absorbed the blow into her body without even beating an eye. Cole was a little baffled, because he had never been able to absorb Kessler's attack, and Nix took the chance to assault the guy to tear him a new one.

Then Cole was moving again, lunging to the front to whack the nearest Ice Freak with the Amp so hard, the guy hit the floor and wasn't moving anymore. At the same time, Cole used the momentum of the blow to spin around and summon an ash tornado and fling the remaining guys into the air.

“Cole!” Nix yelled, pointing at something further towards the city. “Das 'im, no?”

A heavily armed trench-coat-wearing guy was rushing away from their current position- and he was glowing. “That's him!”, Cole confirmed, “The General, huh?”

“What's he doing?” Kuo questioned with a frown.

Yeah, why was he running away?

Cole glanced at the dark clouds overhead and the sheet lightning from distant rain storms. Lightning, these guys wanted to attract lightning. And lightning mostly hit...tall objects.

His eyes snapped to the giant frozen tower in the middle of Gas Works. “He's trying to run over there”, he realized.

“We should stop him”, Kuo suggested, “Otherwise we might lose the Core altogether.”

“Yeah, but firs' we gotta take out de oters”, Nix snorted. “Don' tink dey let us any near 'im.”

“Then let's do it.”

“What about the lightning? If the Core gets to the top of that tower, we could lose it.”

Cole grinned. “The lightning won't hit it. Not with me present.” He held out his arm and altered his own electrical field- and a lightning bolt that was just on the way towards the ground changed its trajectory and hit him instead, feeding itself into his system. Sparks danced across the Conduit's skin and lashed out of the corners of his eyes. “I can tell it not to hit the Core.”

Nix whistled. “Shit, man. Dis crazy.” She laughed loud and vanished in a puff of smoke. Kuo just sighed and vanished herself.

Cole was still grinning as he chased after the two of them, mindful to keep to himself that he had no idea he was able to attract lightning  _at all_ . He wasn't going to complain, however, and set after the ice General.

He threw out his lightning tether and latched onto the closest refraction column to yank himself across the field and use the momentum to thrust his body skyward. At the peak of his jump, he kicked off the air (assisted by a quick air-dash/static thruster), and enveloped himself in flames. Below him, he could see the tell-tale icy trail the bastard left behind.

_Shit, that dude's quick_ , he realized. Kuo was nearly as fast, but still didn't manage to catch up with him.

Nix didn't participate in the chase herself. When Cole hit the top of another silo, fire erupted around the nearest Ice Freaks and blew them off the construction. “A got dem!” She yelled at him. “Go!”

Cole nodded and catapulted himself back upwards, lashing out the lightning tether again to pull himself across another deep drop between the towering constructions.

An Ice Heavy expected him when he hit the other side hard, swinging his arms and smacking them into the ground to create massive spears of ice. Cole rolled to the side in the last second, his hand flying out and throwing a quick succession of three shockwaves into the guy. The soldier stumbled backwards, but didn't fall off. Instead, he blasted the Electric Conduit with a powerful ice beam.

Cole grit his teeth and instantly enveloped himself in electricity and flames to prevent getting frozen solid, but even so it was highly unpleasant. He threw his arms out in a flurry of electricity and fire, blasting the ice covering him apart in thousands of tiny shards. The Heavy swayed again and was about to repeat his action when Cole lifted one hand towards the dark sky, and aimed the other at the guy.

A lightning bolt hit the Conduit with full power, and this time, he didn't absorb it. Instead, he just channeled it through his body and released it towards the soldier. Ten million volt and thirty thousand amps hit the man with full force- and he simply  _ceased to exist_ .

Mostly vaporized by the extreme temperature of way beyond twenty thousand degrees, Cole figured. But then again, if it was hot enough to vaporize  _stone_ , then human tissue held together with ice wasn't much of a challenge.

He was still a bit startled, because even a lightning strike shouldn't really pack that much of a punch, right? Or had this happened because he had channeled it through his body before?

...Didn't matter, he decided a moment later. Not the current problem anyways.

He clenched his fist and stepped to the edge of the silo he was on, eyes narrowing on the frozen tower. He spied Kuo being currently pinned down by a bunch of guys, so he kicked off and soared over, unleashing his lightning tether and spinning in mid-air to lash out and rip through two guys at the same time.

Kuo lunged at the last guy, simply slamming her hands against his chest and- Cole wasn't sure what she did, though it looked a lot like what he could do when he drained somebody of their synaptic charges.  
Only, she drained the coldness out of the man, and the guy collapsed almost immediately after she let go of him.

She blinked. “Oh”

Cole grimaced. “Looks like they really were dead people walking.” He eyed her. “Hey, you shouldn't feel bad about it. I mean...he was already dead.”

She sighed. “Guess you're right. But anyways”, she hissed through her teeth, “Because of them I kind of lost sight of the General.”

Cole shrugged, thinking of how he lost Bertrand a few times. “Yeah, happens to the best of us. But that's why we operate as a team, right?” He focused and sent out a radar pulse, and it cam back with something that resembled a Blast Shard, but was simply...more.

“I got it”, he confirmed, and pointed upwards. “Up on the tower. C'mon.” He threw a lightning tether upwards and latched onto the sheets of ice covering the construction, pulling himself upwards to the catwalk installed further up.

He nearly slipped the moment he landed on the ground, and just barely caught himself with a short exclamation. He frowned at the railing he clung to, and carefully climbed back to his feet. Kuo appeared besides him. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just kind of forgot that ice is slippery.” Especially ice that sits in a very warm area, and constantly melts and re-freezes.

“There's more of that”, the Ice Conduit pointed out helpfully.

“Yeah, I know.” Cole exhaled and focused on creating a cloak of lightning around his limbs. Hopefully it would help melting the frozen ground and shape it a little more uneven upon re-freezing to allow him a better grip. “I'll be a little more careful.” He really hoped his little trick would help, because this construction was pretty tall, and it would suck if he fell off. He threw another lightning tether to latch himself on the pipes jutting out of the construction he was on. The icy cold was biting into his hands despite his cloak, and he clenched his teeth against the pain. He shouldn't have stopped wearing his gloves. But who would have thought to even _need_ gloves when being south of Cairo? It wasn't supposed to _be_ cold here, damnit.

Grumbling, he pulled himself up on a support beam and blew at his hands in hopes of warming them again. While he did so, two things came to his realization: First of, while he could sense the Blast Core, it was kind of...muffled. Not much, and certainly not enough to be hidden from him, but probably hidden from sight. Second, nobody was on top with the Core.

It intrigued him, because why should they leave their loot behind?

He climbed the last few feet upwards, swearing because up here was barely anything to hold to other than smooth ice- and paused once he reached the very top. The Blast Core was barely visible anymore, encased in thick sheets of ice. Cole experimentally charged up and tried to thaw it, but it wouldn't budge. Neither helped whacking the Amp into it.

“Pretty solid, huh?” Kuo asked as she materialized right next to him. Cole just huffed in answer. 

“Can you crack it?”

“I don't think so. I mean, I can create ice, but until now I haven't figured how to remove it”, she admitted.

“Huh. What about Nix?”

“Her powers could work”, Kuo agreed. “However, they are tar-based. If it is too cold here, the tar likely doesn't reach its ignition point. I think she's better suited keeping our backs clean.”

“True.” Cole tapped the ice again. “It's pretty thick. Maybe I could do that lightning-channel-thing again, and smash it, but...” He furrowed his brows. “The chance is I activate the Blast Core that way and absorb it. Or you absorb it. Or Nix does. Anyways, one of us would probably get knocked out and we're right in the middle of enemy territory.”

“Or, worse even, the Core just ceases to exist because of the blast. I see your point. But there is another chance”, Kuo pointed at the building below. “This is a refinery, Cole. All of them have a bleeding pipe designed to burn unwanted gas. And right now, we're standing on top of the bleeding pipe.”

“Wait- you mean if we can turn it on-”

“Then the heat from the burning gas and the gas pressure in itself could weaken the ice enough so we can break it.” She frowned briefly. “If this refinery is still functional, that is.”

“We'll worry about that later on”, Cole decided. “You know where the button is to switch this thing on?”

“There should be a couple of override switches at the lower part. Somewhere”, Kuo explained. “Usually used for when a buildup of gas caused too much pressure on the construction.” She paused again. “I'll stay up here, get you the Core when it's free.”

“Thank you”

“No problem.”

Cole was about to turn around when he stopped. “One moment, though-”, he took his Amp and jabbed it into the mounting for the pilot light, some distance away from Kuo. “If lightning strikes, it should be attracted into this first. Give you some cover.”

She smiled. “You really think of everything. Thanks.”

“Always”, he grinned, now finally turning around and leaping off the bleeding pipe. He instantly generated his thrusters to slow his descent and circle the construction to gain a better look.

“ _MacGrath”_ He nearly fumbled it and lost his control, just barely managed to cling to another rail.

“John?” Cole turned suspiciously, looking around.

“ _You know I'm not really there.”_

“Still working on believing that one.” He sighed. “Why didn't you tell me you were the Beast?”

“ _The Beast...it's a name you have given me. A name inspired by fear. Are you afraid?”_

“Of course I'm scared. Have you _seen_ the new you?” The Beast had destroyed Kessler's family, friends, home and his whole _world_. Had scared him so much he went back in time to fix it, to create somebody who could fight the Beast. _Could fight John._

“ _You know, I would never harm you. We've been friends, remember? And now I could use your help.”_

“Friends?” Cole stopped briefly as he located the first emergency switch and cranked open a valve to allow gas to flow. “You kicked our asses in Empire.”

“ _I-”_ John actually seemed to be taken back. “ _I'm so sorry. But being reborn...”_ He trailed off for a moment. _“I had no idea who, or where I was. All I knew was that I felt afraid of something, lashing out at anyone and anything. And then I sensed you. The biggest threat to me so I attacked you.”_ He sighed, and Cole actually felt a little bad. _“I had no idea who you were, I was just scared you'd might attack me.”_

“So you came at me first?”

“ _Yes. I regret it. Tried to find you again to apologize, but you were gone.”_

“How did you find me again?” He managed to clamber up another set of catwalks, stopping suspiciously when he realized that there weren't any Ice Freaks around. 

“ _I felt you. Become stronger, that is. I don't know how, but...suddenly I knew where you were.”_

Yeah, must have been when he absorbed the Blast Core.

Cole grunted and hopped up on another set of rails and turned a second valve. “What is it you're planning?”

John sighed again.  _“You've seen the truth. That woman I healed.”_ He paused and his voice dropped.  _“There is no other way. I wish there was, but...”_

“Just to make this clear- you're offering me to work alongside you?”

“ _Something of the sorts. Just...think about it, okay?”_

Cole just made a noise, not knowing whether John knew what he meant with it. He still didn't know what he was going to tell him- joining him seemed wrong, but so did outright killing him.

But better be prepared for everything, rather than go into a situation half-assed.

“'eads up!” Cole just barely managed to turn around when Nix barreled into his direction at full speed, closely followed by a bunch of Ice Freaks. He bit back a startled yelp and threw a shockwave right over Nix's head and into the mercs chasing after her. The Vermaak soldiers stumbled back, giving the two Conduits enough time to pick them off in a flurry of fire and lightning.

Once they were in the clear, Nix leaned over a rail to catch her breath. Cole was concerned. “You okay?”

She grinned. “Heh. Am fine. Jus' a little outta breat'. Din' know dere were so many of dem.”

“You need a moment?”

“Nah. Wat 'bout ya? Ya found de Core?”

“Yeah, but it's frozen solid on top of the bleeding pipe. I'll just get the gas running and we should be able to melt it-” Cole cut himself off with a frown. “Actually, could you get up there? I think the pilot light's off, and you can kind of create explosions, so...”

“A will, but not now”, Nix cut him off. “Firs' we gotta beat up some more Ice Freaks.”

Cole just grinned. “Wasn't going to tell you anything else.”

* * *

Nix was a real powerhouse, Cole realized, because if she'd been holding her own against only half the number of ice freaks storming them now, then she still had managed to keep dozens of men at bay at the same time, and barely looked any worse for wear.

“Stop them!” Speaking of which...these guys were keen on keeping them away from the last valve, and they certainly weren't scared of using otherwise lethal force.

They just didn't think that their foes didn't have much concerns about going lethal either.

Cole just grunted and threw his arm out as instead of his Amp, to summon an ash vortex and fling a few guys off the upper platform. Nix whopped and set a bunch of men on fire at the same time, using the vortex to spray her tar into different directions and increase its combustibility by a factor of ten.

The resulting blast nearly singed Cole's eyebrows off, but brought a grin to his face.

A Heavy stormed at him, and he quickly dodged to the side. The area was too narrow to do much dodging, so he leapt around the guy and clamped down on his back to slam both hands against the sides of his head. Then he fired off several bolts of lightning, sending them directly through the guy's brain to fry it and drop the body.

Nix whistled. “Sick, man!”

“I know” Cole brushed his hands off and sent out a Radar Pulse. “Pretty sure that's that, and I think this is the last valve over there”, he mentioned with a jab of his thumb over his shoulder. “Nix, please get up on the tower. Once you're up there, throw a fireball, so I know you are in position. I'll turn the valve, and you have to switch on the pilot light, okay?”

She sniffed. “Can do, man.”

“Thanks. Get Kuo and the Core and my Amp, and we can get out of here.”

“Will do” Nix vanished in a puff of flames, and Cole took up position next to the valve. When the signal appeared in the form of a fiery ball streaking across the sky, he cranked it around. Gas build up immediately, and within moments the pressure was too much for the ice covering the bleeding pipe. It blew apart violently, directly followed by the roar of gas being ignited.

Panic ran down Cole's back when he realized just how  _massive_ the explosion was. Getting hit by an RPG was nothing compared to that- and he barely survived getting hit by a RPG anyways-

There were two figures descending towards the ground controlled, but very fast. When they passed him, Cole caught Kuo's eyes and she motioned towards the ground. He understood the order. Get down to the ground level. Regroup. Yeah, he could do that.

So he swung himself over the rail and dropped towards Nix and Kuo, who hit the floor a few yards away from him.

“Well”, Kuo grimaced once he caught up to them. “I'm not sure what I expected, standing on top of a bleeding pipe that's about to be switched on, but I guess I expected I wouldn't be that stupid. Yet here I am.”

Nix cackled. “It was  _awesome_ ! We gotta do dis again!”

“You guys okay?” Cole cut in with a worried look.

“Just a little singed”, Kuo claimed, “Oh, and I learnt I hate dropping from high points.”

“Ya gotta do it more often”, Nix threw in, “Ya learn to love it.”

The Ice Conduit threw her a withering glare, then deflated and shook her head. “Not so soon again, please.”

“Yeah, firs' we gotta end de Beast”, Nix agreed, handing the Amp over to Cole. He took it with a grin. 

Then froze the moment Kuo was about to give him the Blast Core- Lightning lashed out of his skin the very next second, and he stood in a defensive stance in front of both of them without even realizing it-

Ice crashed from the ground around them, forming thick walls that cut them off when dozens of Vermaak soldiers appeared on top of the construction. Shit, he hadn't even  _felt_ them approach. Nix and Kuo both didn't fumble long, whirled around the very second they realized what was going on to bring their backs to Cole's in a semi-circle.

“Shit”, the Ice Conduit hissed with ice daggers forming along her wrists.

“Ya say it”, Nix growled, flames snapping out of her hands.

Cole narrowed his eyes on the heavily armed and decorated guy they've chased before. The General of the Vermaak 88. He grit his teeth. “What do you want?” He demanded to know.

“The Core”, the General rasped. “Give it to us.”

“Why?” Kuo demanded to know.

“Because we will be whole”, the soldier replied with a growl.

Cole snorted. “Whole?” Oh, arguing with them was a very bad idea, and he was still going to go through with it. “What? You try to become a real Conduit, like my us?”

The mercs around them threw curses and slurs at them, until their leader lifted his hand. “Yes”, he said. “Without it, we will continue to fall apart. So give it to us and we will be complete.”

Cole caught Kuo's narrowing eyes and Nix's scoff, and cocked his head. “Yeah, and we kind of need the Blast Core to  _save the whole damn World,_ so our need kind of outweighs yours.”

The General growled. “We  _will_ be whole”

“Getting repetitive there”, the Electric Conduit snorted. “And anyways, what are you even planning once you fixed yourselves? Continue to terrorize defenseless civilians? Have a petty armed argument with a bunch of hicks? Lead wars just because you can?” He jabbed his Amp into the floor and the clouds above rumbled ominously. “You aren't soldiers. You are cowards hiding behind powers you _don't deserve_.”

He threw his hand up the very second the General flicked his fingers to the front, and the lightning slamming down into Cole took the men's sight for several long seconds. Enough so Nix and Kuo could get the Hell out of there.

They wouldn't run away, however. He trusted them to have his back.

And without any warning, thick slabs of Ice collided with the wall the Vermaak created and completely shattered it. Thick black tar splattered across the ground and soldiers to the south side of the pack, and blew up the next second. Cole shot his lightning tether to the front and sheared through half a dozen men in one motion before it hit the refinery's wall and dug in. Cole yanked himself off the ground and into the air before any of the men even realized what was going on.

Neither Conduit gave them any chance to gather themselves.

Cole spun around on his new perch, kept one hand raised skywards to absorb energy directly from the storm, and used the other to fire clusters of his electrical missiles at the men to either shatter them directly, or break their formation for now.

Nix lunged between the scattered men, catching whoever she managed to reach in tar to blow them up. The second one took aim at her, she easily threw up thick black plumes of smoke to take their sight and give herself cover- cover she used like a wild cat, pouncing on the guys and ripping them off their feet and into the cloud, where startled screams were cut off. She probably had a lot of training on that one, hunting for Bertrand's men back in the swamp.

At the same time, Kuo dodged past the men in shape of icy mist and went for the leader directly. The man swung his rifle at her, but she only touched it and it froze  _solid,_ and she delivered a fierce kick to outright snap the weapon in halves the next second. The General swayed back, yanked a combat knife free and tried to jab it into the agent's stomach- though she turned partly into mist again, let the blow go through her without harm. Then she solidified again and tore the frigid powers directly out of the General's body. 

The ice was all that kept him alive, and Kuo used the terrified second as the others watched their leader's body drop to fashion several daggers of ice and fling them at the closest four guys to impale and kill them.

Cole grinned and targeted two fingers at the nearest moron to fire a singular high-energy lightning bolt. It went right through the man's chest and he reeled over. Didn't even realize what was going on.

Then the ground shook and pillars of ice broke from the floor beneath when a Titan charged towards them at full tilt. Cole made a short gesture with his arm and the three Conduits hopped out of the way of the thing.

“Follow my lead!” The Titan had stopped its charge and whirled around, roaring, though left itself wide open. Cole dove at it, slid along the ground beneath its legs and lunged upwards at its back, using the uneven surface to quickly scramble upwards. The Titan noticed him, of course, but its brain couldn't comprehend how to shake him off, and its arms were too clumsy to actually reach for him. Cole snorted and yanked his Amp free, jabbing it into the Titan's face plate and just cranked it down. The ice gave in with an ugly crunch, revealing its face.

“Now! Shoot it with all you got!”

Kuo hesitated at first, but Nix already darted to the front and lugged a pair of fiery orbs at the Titan, who reeled back with a pained whine. The Kuo snapped herself out of whatever shock she'd been in and followed up with dagger-like shards of ice that burrowed deep into the Titan's ruined face. The monster shuddered once, and collapsed beneath Cole into a pile of snow and frost.

Cole grinned. “Hah. Knew we could take it together. Good job!”

There were some startled shouts, and the few remaining Ice Freaks turned tail. Nix yelled after them. “Yeah, ya better run!”

“They won't be doing that again”, Kuo commented. She seemed somewhat distant as she handed the Blast Core over. “Let's just get out of here. Please.”

Cole saw she felt uncomfortable. “Yeah, let's go.” He turned to Nix. “You okay with that, or do you want to stay and hunt down the last guys?”

“Nah, man. 'ad mah fun. Now a gotta eat somethin'. Am starvin'.”

Eating did sound like a good idea, Cole figured. Not to him, though, because his stomach was making weird flips ever since he had absorbed the last two Blast Cores, though he figured the others wouldn't say no to getting something into their systems.

Then he would absorb the last Blast Core.

And after that? After that he needed to use the RFI. Kill John.   
...Did he need to? Maybe he could go look whether he could find him and talk to him. End all of this without any further bloodshed?

He eyed the Blast Core in his hand thoughtfully. Whether he was going to talk to him or not, he was still going to absorb this thing. Better be prepared for anything, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ominous title is ominous.
> 
> But at least we'll get some quality tag-teaming by our three favorite Conduits, so that has to count for something?


	28. The Final Piece

By the time Cole and the others returned from the retrieval of the Blast Core, the Storm had broken. Thick drops of cold water rained down on them, and Kuo had to create a shield of ice to protect Cole from the elements and prevent him from short-circuiting. Still, walking next to him had been anything but pleasant, so once they were in their dry hideout everybody was relieved.

Nix promised the rain would stop soon. Outside of Hurricane season, the weather always cleared fast.

Two hours later, the sky had cleared enough so the stars were plainly visible. Sure, there were puddles on the roof as they walked up, but it wasn't too dramatic. While Zeke removed the plastic sheets covering their furniture up here, Cole frowned at the Core.

If he absorbed it, he would be ready to use the RFI. He would be ready to kick John's ass.  
But- did he really  _want_ to do it? John had been his friend. A friend who risked (and eventually lost) his own life so he could find and destroy the Ray Sphere. A friend who needed his help right now.

...A friend who was, by all means, the one he came here to stop. A friend who, confused and panicked by his own resurrection, lashed out and destroyed Empire City.

And killed ten million people. On accident? Likely not, but it hadn't been  _him_ who killed them.

“Hey, man?” Cole turned to eye Zeke. “You gonna spark that thing up?”

“I don't know”, he replied with a tired tone. “I mean, on one hand, I'd get more powers. On the other...” He sighed. “It would mean I could use the RFI, and right now, I'm not sure I _want_ to.” Plus, lately he always felt like shit after consuming a Core.

“Why not? We've come here all this way just for it?” Zeke was confused.

“It's just...” Cole shook his head. He hadn't told anybody about John being the Beast, but he couldn't say the same of Alex. “The Beast's a Conduit, Zeke”, he all but blurted.

Zeke blinked. “And? Bertrand was too.”

“His name is John.”

Zeke tilted his head, still not understanding. “So you know his name-” He cut himself off, eyes widening behind his glasses. “Wait. Wait.  _John_ ? As in  _John White_ ?! That NSA Agent who'd been undercover in Kessler's Cult? Who  _died_ when you destroyed the Ray Sphere?!”

“Yes.” Cole ran his hand across his scalp. “And he'd been my friend, you know? When he attacked us in Empire, he'd been confused and crazed with pain. Now he isn't, and he asked me for my _help_.” He dropped his hand. “I don't know what to do.”

Now Zeke finally understood. “Because he's your friend”, he summarized, “And because he's the Beast. Both things that exclude each other.”

“Exactly!” Saving the World meant killing John. Sparing John meant destroying the World. Technically, it was a no-brainer. Cole liked the World. He kept his stuff there.

“Having trouble to decide?”

Cole turned to Alex, who had crossed his arms across his chest. The Conduit sighed. “I mean, it should be easy, right? The fate of one against the fate of many. Simple to decide, right?”

“It never is”, Alex argued. “John is your friend. I get it.” He cocked his head. “Tell me, what would you do if I was the threat?”

“Weep, I assume”, Cole shot back. “'Cause you are friggin' dangerous.”

There was actually the ghost of a smile on Alex's face as he inclined his head. “What if you had the weapon necessary to destroy me for good, and I'd be a real threat to anybody you love?”

“Still weep.” He furrowed his brows. “And then maybe look what I could do about it.”

“And what would you do about it?”

“Figure out what's going on? I mean, depending on whether you would attack me or not, I think finding what motivates you might be a good idea.” Cole paused. “Can I still talk to you?”

“Yes”

“Then I would do that first.”

“But?”

“...But I wouldn't go in half-assed?”

Alex grinned and motioned towards the Blast Core. “Correct. Absorb this thing first, and while you go and sleep it off, I'll keep an eye out for John. I find him, and we'll go and have a talk with him. If that doesn't work, we can still decide later. Deal?”

Cole smiled a little, but he didn't feel so good. “Yeah. Deal.”

Then he clenched the Core harder and sent a spark through it, and the world blinked out.

* * *

Finding White was probably the easy part, all things considered, Alex thought. Or, well, not so easy, but he knew how his body reacted to the Beast, and as such, how he reacted towards White.   
When he left the roof, he had Heller stay behind to relay his messages, should he find anything. At first, he hadn't been so certain just  _where_ the Conduit was going to be, so he trailed back to the Plague Ward and poked around. Then he headed straight for the bleeding pipe of the oil refinery and rushed upwards, kicking off and soaring high into the sky for a better overview.

But then he saw the white dome rising above the swamp, and swore.

“ _Fuck! That a Ray Sphere Blast?!”_ Heller snarled.

_It is. Hold it, I'll check it out._ There was only one way a blast such as this could even exist- but what was White even doing out there?

His head started hurting, the magnetic receptors inside of his skin starting to spin out of control. The magnetic field was torn apart, and it only got worse the closer he got to the center of the blast.

He recognized where he was going, too. It was where they've come from, back when they snuck into New Marais. But then the path made of rickety construction suddenly ended and he had to stop with a swear.

There had been a shanty town here.

Now there was a crater, already filling up with murky bog water. “Ah. Shit”

“ _Wait. Wasn't that...Fuck. How many people had been there?”_

_Too many._ Alex's eyes narrowed.  _I'll go in. See whether I can find any survivors._

He kicked off his current vantage point and headed to the remains of the shantytown, setting down on the destroyed ground.

There was nothing alive here, right up until his instincts screamed at him and he more or less jerked away and grew bladed limbs to protect himself.

“Mercer?”

Alex whirled around, claws ripping into the ground to stop his momentum so he could face the Conduit.

White, for his part, seemed more confused than aggressive, even though Alex's hackles were up and his teeth bared. “I didn't mean to startle you again”, the Conduit pointed out. “I just...keep forgetting that people tend to react poorly when I appear.”

“Poorly?” Alex couldn't stop the scoff that made its way out of his throat once he realized that right now, there was no danger to him. “Like dying, you mean?”

There was a fine tremor running through White's body, and his face twitched. “I had no choice. The people here, they were all sick. They would have died within the next week. I just...liberated them from wasting away. A quick end is better than wasting away, wouldn't you agree?”

Alex actually did. He still remembered the amount of infected people that hadn't turned into Infected yet that he hunted down and consumed. And most of them had been civilians, too, had never been a threat. And still he had killed them.  
He exhaled through his teeth. “Yeah, I know that. Manhattan had been similar.” And then again, it  _wasn't_ . Because in Manhattan there was a real disease, and the infrastructure remained largely intact once everything was done. Here, everything was focused on  _one man_ , and if they stopped him, they'd stop the plague. It was easy, really, but complicated because the only one able to actually stop him wasn't as brutally pragmatic as Alex was.

“Then you know how important it is what I do”, White pointed out. “I need to tell Cole, too. Where is he?”

“Currently indisposed.” Alex cocked his head, eyes narrowing. “And you need to listen-”

White lifted his hand. “No. I'd rather have him present if there is something you want to tell me. This here-” He gestured to the crater, “This isn't a place for conversation.”

“Then where would you want to meet him?”

“Flood Town. The blown-out office building near the train yard. I believe you know which I mean.”

Alex's eyes narrowed. “I know.”

“Meet me there when he wakes up. I think you both will want to hear what I have to say.” White turned and just disappeared before Alex could get anything to say. He grunted once. “Fucking Hell” _Cole's not going to like this._

“ _What are you meaning, exactly?”_

_I got a really bad feeling about this whole situation._ He shook his head.  _Something's off about this guy, and I think I know what it is. He's not going to be lenient once he learns about this._

“ _You gonna share-”_ Heller cut himself off with a deep exhale when Alex did exactly that. Thoughts were easy transferred inside the Hive Mind. _“Fuck”_

_Yeah_ . Alex glanced up.  _How's Cole?_

“ _Still out of it. Sparking from time to time.”_

_Pulse?_

“ _Elevated, as is body temperature. Don't think it's serious.”_

_It won't if he stops consuming Blast Cores._ He ran his hand under his hood.  _Alright. I'll come back. Once he wakes up, we'll go and talk to White. But-_

Heller didn't need to answer. Alex knew what he was thinking. They needed to be prepared, no matter how little time they had left.

* * *

The sky was dyed in a weird reddish light. Cole blinked slowly. It looked like dusk, but that couldn't be. He usually stayed unconscious for like...a few hours at most. Not most of the day.

But...he squinted at the sky. This wasn't evening, no? It was  _morning_ , but the light wasn't soft like it should be. 

It was red...like the sky was coated in soot.

Soot, like in Empire.

He was wide-awake in an instant, his body moving as he scrambled to his feet as fast as he could.

“Eerie, isn't it?” Alex only threw him a small side-glance, then resumed watching the city.

“What happened?”

“Beast showed up while you were out. Blew the shit out of that swamp town.” His jaw was set and Cole felt the ground being yanked out beneath him. “Shit”

“Yeah” Alex turned towards him. “He asked whether you'd meet him, you know.”

“Me?”

“He wanted to tell you something, but wouldn't say what.” He cocked his head. “I have things to tell him, too.”

“What kind of things?” Kuo asked and Cole now finally became aware of the others on the roof.

“Bunch of things that don't make sense”, Alex replied with a frown. “I want you to be ready. I don't think things will work out as we want, and chances are we'll be in deep shit then.”

Cole furrowed his brows. “You really think so?”

“Better prepare for the worst and hope for the best, no?” Dana said simply. “You go and meet with John.”

Cole stared at her blankly. She grinned. “Don't worry about us. We will be ready. Robertson and Laroche and Rooks already know what to do. New Marais won't let you down.”

And he wouldn't let New Marais down either. And maybe there was a way to stop all of it without any further casualties. “Where?”

“Where we met Laroche during the first night in Flood Town”, Alex said simply. “Come.”

Cole followed after him, realizing how strangely detached he was. His jaw was set, and his fists clenched so tight, there were tendrils squirming across their surface.

And New Marais was trembling slightly.

Like, literally.

He could guess Alex was feeling just as nervous as he did. Just as helpless, because what were they even supposed to  _do_ ?

...Small steps, Nix had said. Small steps. Meet with John first. Talk to him. Find out why he was doing this. Find out whether they could ask him to stop.

And then...depending on the situation, use the RFI. He knew he could activate it now, could feel it pulsing against his back. Felt the energy inside.

It felt like himself, like it was a part of him.

Still, he didn't know whether it would work. Wolfe had admitted he never had a chance to actually test it- so what if it wouldn't work?

What if everybody affected by the Plague would just continue to waste away? Zeke, and Laroche, and Colonel Blackwatch, and Dana probably too. He didn't wanted to imagine either of them being gone, but it was an all too possible outcome.

Come to think of it, Alex looked like he was having the same idea. And, as the only one who faced Kessler's Beast himself, he was likely very well aware just how fucked they really were if bad came to worst.

...He really hoped that things wouldn't go askew that much, though he still couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down his back when his radar picked up a minor distortion in the magnetic field around them. The Alex growled low in his throat, and confirmed his suspicions that way.

He hit the remains of the upper-most floor. John didn't turn to greet them, just kept watching the city. “Hello Cole. Hello Mercer.”

Alex only grunted. Cole figured it was okay if he started talking. “So, we're both here. What is it that you wanted to show us?”

John glanced at him briefly, though didn't really respond to his question. “Look at the city. It's broken”, he said instead. “I don't think you can hear their screams, but I can.”

“Screams?”

“They are dying, Cole. They have no hope. That is why they are screaming inside their heads. They want to be healed. And I can hear them.” 

“Wait”, Cole frowned. “You're meaning to say that you...help them?”

“I try to”, John replied. “But I can't save all of them from the Plague. I can only scrape together a few hundreds and protect them from immediate death.” His shoulders slumped. “I don't know if I can keep doing it. I still hear their screams. Of all of them.”

Cole blinked, head cocked to the side. He  _knew_ what he was talking about- the screams, he could hear them too. From his own activation. But John- John  _was_ the Ray Sphere. Could he hear everybody he ever killed?

“I don't think I can continue doing it any longer”, he admitted in a dead voice.

There was a short exhalation from the side, and both turned towards Alex. “Now I know what this is about, White”, he said thoughtfully. His posture was relaxed, and he didn't seem to be afraid anymore. The Runner's pale eyes were narrow. “You said you wanted Cole to help you. First I thought you wanted him to point out the Conduits, so you could focus your powers better. But that's not it, isn't it?” He crossed his arms, and his eyes glowed slightly. “You are  _tired_ . You don't want to sacrifice all those people anymore. You want to save them, but you are not ready to pay the price. Right?”

John's shoulders slumped as he exhaled. “Yes. I was trained to protect the people. Even from themselves. There had been so many cases I worked on where I thought that it could have been different. I didn't have a chance back then. Now I have. And I want to save the people. I want to protect mankind.”

“By saving the few Conduits. Better a few survive than everybody dies, huh?” Cole finished. “Man, this sounds pretty much like Blackwatch material.”

Alex snorted. “Believe me, Blackwatch would simply burn the place down and shoot any survivors.”

“And I can't risk it. The Conduits- they are immune against all diseases. Wounds and broken bones will heal without trouble. If the Conduits survive, mankind will become less vulnerable as a whole.”

Cole cocked his head in confusion. “What has this to do with  _me_ ?”

Alex grunted in his throat. “Think about it, Cole. White here had changed your Radar. What do you think he could alter further?”

Cole paled when the words sank in and ice spread from his core. “Your powers. You want...You want  _me_ to become the Beast?”

“You are stronger than I am, Cole”, John admitted. “You have been able to make the hard decisions. I have watched you, you know? You never went for the easy way. You always went the hard way to protect as many people as you could. This here, this is similar. The hard way is to sacrifice all those that can't be saved anymore, and save those few that can be.” He shook his head. “I'm not strong enough to endure it. You are. You can do what I can't.”

Cole subconsciously stepped back. “I can't. It's not  _right_ . There has to be a different way.”

“None that I know of”, John replied with a tired tone. “Or else I would have tried it already.”

Alex suddenly flared with electrical charges, and Cole subtly cocked his head to glance at him from the corner of his eye. He jerked his chin slightly, and Cole understood. Didn't say a word when Alex cleared his throat.

“There is a way to contain the Plague.”

“Really?” John perked up. “How?”

“By taking out the source”, Alex explained. “The Plague is, despite its name, not a disease that is transmitted from person to person. It is poisoning. _Radiation_ poisoning.”

“Radiation?” John furrowed his brows. “But the symptoms-”

“It's rather weak radiation, although highly mutagenic”, The Runner explained simply. “It is incapable of crossing the skin barrier. However, once inhaled, it settles inside the lungs, and from there starts entering the body via the blood stream. And there it starts mutating the body. Doesn't work with Conduits, they just get sick. Humans die.” He grimaced briefly. “It's pretty much comic physics radiation, if you ask me. Anyways, the idea was to cut off the radiation from its energy source, and the effect should stop. Maybe even be reversed.”

“We already started”, Cole added. “You know Wolfe, right?” A rhetoric question. Amongst the data they got from the pigeons were audio files, and one was a discussion between the two NSA agents and the professor.

John just nodded with a confused expression on his face. Cole sighed. “Well, he gave us a device and the instructions to use it. The Blast Cores I absorbed- the things that made me stronger- prepared me to use it.”

John held up his hand with a deep frown. “Then why didn't you use it?”

“Because I couldn't”, Cole told him, and his voice dropped into a whisper. “I didn't want to.”

“Why?”

“You are the reason”, Alex said simply.

“I?”

The Runner inclined his head. “You are like me”, he explained. “We are weapons, White. Designed to destroy the world. But I am...defective. I am not as dangerous as I could have been, because I do not infect others outside of touching them.” He inhaled and shook his head. “But you- you do exactly what you were made to do. You activate Conduits by activating their Conduit Genes. You activate them by introducing them to a Ray Field.”

John's expression was puzzled, then his features sharpened. “Wait. What you're describing sounds exactly like what I heard from Kessler. Back when I worked undercover.”

“Because you are basically a Ray Sphere in the shape of a Conduit.” Alex's teeth were bared in a grimace. “And that is the problem- because you are _always active_. You give off Ray Field Radiation wherever you walk.”

John actually stepped back. “Wait- you mean to say-?”

“ _You_ generate the Ray Field Radiation that makes the people sick. _You_ are the source we need to shut down in order to save the people.”

* * *

A dropping pin would have sounded like an explosion at this point. For a moment, John looked like he had a stroke, before he caught himself with a frown. “Are you serious?”

“Yes”, Cole confirmed. “Just think about it- ever since Empire blew, the people's been getting sick, right? That's because you kind of accidentally blasted a lot of this stuff into the atmosphere. I know you didn't mean to, and you thought you were doing the right thing after the blast- helping the few people that could be helped- but you were actually the one to make it worse on accident.” Because every time John appeared as the Beast, he generated Ray Field Radiation which affected even more people in turn.

John let out a groan and draped his hand down his face. “Shit”

Cole grimaced, silently thankful that Alex wasn't interfering. “Yeah, so you see the problem. To stop the Plague we need to stop the source of the radiation, and that source is you. At the same time, you're my friend, and I don't want to hurt you.”

“Neither will I”, John replied with a huff. “Shit, so what? Can I stop this radiation?”

“I-” Cole hesitated. “I don't know about that. I can't stop my powers completely, I can just tone it down. And right now, you already toned it down, though I doubt there's more you can actually do asides from _not_ turning into the Beast anymore.”

“But it won't solve the current problem”, Alex threw in. “As long you retain your abilities, your link to the Conduit Power Source, the Plague will continue to _be_. It won't spread any further maybe, but it will kill everybody along the East Coast and New Marais. And _I can not allow this_.” He hissed the last words with so much venom, it actually scared Cole. Then he realized that Alex must be aware of something he himself hadn't dared to think of- that Dana was affected too. Strictly speaking, it would have been a miracle if she'd remained the only Plague-free person in all of New Marais, but it still hurt. Just as much as Zeke did. Just as much as Trish had hurt.

“What does this device do you have?” John asked. “You said it can stop the Plague.”

Cole glanced at Alex, who only set his jaw in reply. So he proceeded to pull the RFI from his bag. “This is it”, he declared. “The RFI. It should shut down the Plague.”

“RFI?” John's eyes narrowed. “Ray Field _Inhibitor_ , possibly?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Good Lord”, He grimaced, shaking his head. “I heard rumors about it. From Lucy. This thing- it's something you shouldn't even _consider_ , Cole.”

“...Why?”

“Because a Ray Field is all that keeps Conduits _alive_! If you inhibit it, you will kill all of those Conduits. Every last one who survived the East Coast would be doomed. Every last Conduit on the world! Thousands will die, _you_ included!”

Cole inhaled sharply and involuntarily stepped back. He grimaced as soon he realized it, and shook his head. “I think I always knew. Deep down. But it doesn't change anything. Not really.”

“No?”

“No. Conduits are stronger than normal people. Do we even need the Ray Field? What if you are wrong? What if stopping the Ray Field will just render us back to normal? I don't think it'll be a loss if we became human again.”

“You can't know this, Cole.”

“You can't know it either.”

“You'll be killing thousands.”

“And saving _billions_ ”, he shot back. 

“Billions, yes.” John slumped his shoulders and clenched his fists. “If it takes that many so mankind will grow into something more, then I will have no choice.” He glanced at the two of them, and Cole felt his hackles rise. Alex was growling again, tendrils skittering across his surface agitated. 

“I want to save them”, John said in a dead voice. “Save them from themselves. Without me, all of them will die. If I save just the few thousands, then mankind will survive. We will come back, will become strong again. All it needs is just some time for the wounds to heal.”

Cole swallowed. “John- what you're doing is madness. You didn't know it any better back then, but now you know. If you continue this, it'll be  _murder_ !”

“It will be _necessary_. It will end all diseases. All war. All famine. Because mankind will be united in their powers, and nobody will be weak anymore to be exploited by the strong. A new balance will be created.” He dropped his head. “And...I'm sorry Cole. You are my friend. I thought I could gift this power to you, make you more, because I thought I could trust you with making the hard decisions.”

He started burning, and Cole stepped back. “I'm sorry Cole. But your role won't trump mine.”

Alex made a noise. Enraged, panicked, didn't matter.

The RFI sat heavy in his hands.  _No more time._ Static electricity started to gather around him and slammed through the device-

It  _burnt_ . It wasn't the gentle buzz like a Substation, or the angry biting of a Blast Core; it was tearing and shredding and ripping at his insides. His vision had blinked out from one moment to the other and he tasted blood at the back of his throat.

Something seized his arm with bone-breaking force and  _yanked_ , and all tension left him in a snap. Consciousness swirled away from him.

* * *

Heller had his arms crossed in front of his chest and was watching the city. Dunbar was just getting comfortable on the couch and Dana was in a deep discussion with Kuo. Nix stood to the side, fists clenched and eyes narrow as she stared at the fires still burning in the swamp.

“Dis was my 'ome”, she growled. “Mah mamma's 'ome. 's was all a knew.” She turned to glare at him. “De Beast gotta pay.”

“We will figure something out”, Heller confirmed. “That's why Mercer and MacGrath are gone for, at the moment.”

“Talkin' won' solve nothin'”, Nix snapped. “Das bastard needs to be dea-” She was cut off by a gurgle. For a second Heller didn't know where it even came from, until he realized that it was her voice- and she collapsed to her knees, fingers digging into the roof as flames burst from her skin and scorched through it. She was choking on air, couldn't breathe anymore-

“Shit!” He dropped to the ground next to her, grabbing her. He had some idea of Emergency aid, but _what the fuck was going on_ here?!

“James!” Dana shrieked, and he twisted his head to see Kuo in a similar state, thrashing on her back and partially turning to ice and mist. “What are we supposed to do?!”

“I have no fucking idea”, he snapped, “Just try to, I don't know, try to prevent them from choking, or something!” He didn't like the way Nix's pulse had sped up, or how hot her body had gotten. She was tense to the point he actually feared her own muscles could snap a few bones (shit like that was actually possible), until she suddenly and without warning slumped against the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. His hand found her pulse immediately, and luckily, she was still alive, if barely conscious at the moment.

“The fuck?” He asked, then, once again inside his head. _“The FUCK?!”_

There was no reply save for static. For a second, his pulse leapt into his throat too, until the static started clearing.  _“Fuck- just-”_

“Mercer? You there?”

“ _Yeah. Barely.”_

“What the fuck just happened?”

The static got louder. _“Sorry, mind's still fucked. I'll tell you soon.”_

Heller shook himself like a dog, just in time for Nix to give a weak cough and struggle to her feet. “Wat de 'ell?”

“Felt...felt like dying”, Kuo gasped as she too fought to get upright- only to fail when her hand wasn't as solid as it should be. With a grunt from her, the icy mist became bones and muscles again, and she managed to sit on the couch with a bit help from Dana and Dunbar.

“You _were_ ”, Mercer hit the roof with a heavy thud, holding the RFI orb in a massive talon. MacGrath was draped over his shoulders in a fireman's hold, though awake and somewhat complaining. Mercer let him down on the floor as he cleared his throat. “You were dying. A little.”

“What?”

“It's the RFI”, MacGrath threw in. “It stops all Ray Fields- _us_ included.” He dropped on the couch next to Kuo. “Shit. And John's going to fry us too now. He didn't want to listen.”

“John?” Kuo's eyes narrowed. “John _White_? He's alive?!”

“He's the Beast”, Mercer threw in. “He refused to listen to us. Now he will wipe New Marais off the face of the Earth, and continue his rampage.”

“It's not a rampage”, MacGrath cut in with a sigh. “He's trying to save the Conduits that have been affected by the Plague.”

“But he's killin' everybody who's unlucky enough to lack a Conduit Gene”, Zeke snapped. “Cole, this can't go on!”

“I _know_!” The Conduit bit out. “But...” He slumped his shoulders and eyed the other two Conduits. “The only weapon we have is the RFI- and it kills us. I don't...don't want to have to decide. I don't want to kill you.”

Heller noticed the sharp inhalation of air, and the jump of agent Kuo's pulse. She was  _afraid_ . “Shit-”

Mercer had picked up on it too, because he was looking grim. “Maybe not”, he offered. Then plunged his hand into his chest to retrieve his Frankenstein-strength meter. “I got White's energy signature. The RFI can be programmed to only affect this frequency. However...” He growled. “It's not foolproof, and I'm pretty sure Conduits at least close by will be affected. Maybe it'll be something you'll recover from, maybe it won't. Chances are you lose your powers. Chances are you'll die. Or not.”

Nix snorted. “A'll take a 'maybe' ova certain deat'!” She glared at MacGrath. “'e was ya frend. But ya frend got crazy. Ya wanna save Zek' ya gotta stop 'im. Ya don' stop 'im an' Zek' will die.”

“Yeah, bro. I'm not really keen on dyin'”, Dunbar added, though there wasn't any humor in his tone. He twisted his neck over to Kuo. “Hey, super spy? You holdin' up?”

“Holding up?” The agent's voice was edging on hysterics and she was unnaturally pale. “From _almost dying_ that could very well evolve into _just dying_?” She suddenly cut herself off and breathed deeply. Heller knew this technique- he learnt it too to calm himself. When agent Kuo spoke again, she had her emotionless mask back on. “I'm sorry for losing my nerves.”

“Don't stress it, sister. Pretty sure all of us would blow up sooner or later.”

“Now what?” Dana questioned. “I'm pretty sure we still got some giant monster to take care of? And where is he, anyways?”

“Gone, for now”, Mercer growled. “Since he's more in tune with the Ray Field, the RFI did more damage on him than it did on Cole. He's going to recover, however.”

“So we don't have much time”, MacGrath mumbled. “Alex, you said you can program the RFI to only work on the Beast?”

“ _Potentially_ only work on the Beast.”

“Good enough. Program it. Kuo-”, he turned to the Ice Conduit. “If you want to get out, now's the perfect moment. Maybe you'll manage to get away far enough, or maybe underground, if you don't want to risk it.”

“I stay”, she replied icily. “John's been my friend, but it is also my duty to protect the people. I will not run. Just tell me what to do.”

“Protect the substations”, Mercer declared, holding up the RFI. “Because _this_ will need to be recharged.”

“Why?”

“When Cole used it, it short-circuited. Once it is fixed, it needs to be charged. The substations are ideal.”

“Good, then fix it.”

The Runner shook his head. “Dunbar and Dana will have to suffice. I left all instructions on the computer.”

MacGrath blinked. “You won't stay?”

“He won't stay”, Heller rumbled. The Hive was whispering again, voices agitated and angry. “He still got shit to do, right?”

“Gotta prepare the killing field”, Mercer replied. “And make sure you'll get to the substations. Heller- get to Cross. Tell him to ready the men. Kuo, Nix, you look for Laroche and Robertson. The city needs to be evacuated two hours ago.”

The Evolved just grunted. “On it”

Agent Kuo exhaled once. “Acknowledged.”

Dunbar nodded to himself. “Okay, so Dana and I will fix that thing up good.” He grinned at MacGrath. “You can trust me, man.”

“I trust you”

Heller grunted in his throat.  _“Shouldn't you tell him about the possibility he'd die regardless whether this thing takes out all Conduits or not?”_

Mercer snorted.  _“I did. He didn't care.”_ The ground shook and just across Gas Works, the Bleeding Pipe shuddered when the pilot light was snuffed out and red flesh started crawling across its surface.  _“I won't let him die, because he belongs to me. All of this belongs to me and I won't let anybody fuck with my stuff.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I paced my story like a Marvel Movie. First you get the explosive beginning, then you have an intermediate that takes about half the movie with some small skirmishes, then you have another few big explosions, then you have the next intermediate in which the heroes scramble to get their shit together, and then you have the last giant explosion. If it works...
> 
> There is one thing I learnt from playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: Always try to talk to the bad guy first. Try to figure out what he thinks about all of it and maybe get him to stop without fighting. If that doesn't work, you'll still get Exp and you won't feel as bad if you start beating him up.


	29. End of the Road

It took White the better of three hours to pull himself back together. Far longer than Cole or the others had needed- so the RFI had affected him a lot more than either Conduit. Which meant that, in practical means, it actually  _worked_ .   
It probably also pissed him off.

Alex would have been, in his place, because he remembered how angry he'd been when he learnt about Bloodtox, and how he tried to destroy its source with extreme prejudice.

So it was something both of them had in common. One of several things, actually, because the Beast had Powers that resembled those of Blacklight. The Beast had a body that was like that of Alex, as in both were just human-shaped without  _being_ human. White was working with the same motivation, trying to better the World by targeting those that caused the trouble to begin with. Hell, even their creation was the same, both were basically born from dead men.

Any other time Blacklight would have happily joined up with the Beast to eradicate those that hunted him.

Alex hated it. Hated himself for feeling sympathy- because everything White said was  _right_ . Humanity was its own worst enemy. If the total number of humans would be reduced, and everybody had powers on their own, then they wouldn't be able to exploit each other. It would also save the world, as less humans would require less resources.  
He would be lying if he said he didn't think of this himself.

Which was exactly the reason he was going to fight the Beast.   
He was going to stop him because if White succeeded, then there would be way less humans, and each of them would have powers, making hunting and consuming endlessly harder than it needed to be.

And then he hated himself for realizing that the only motivation he had for throwing himself into danger was to protect his food supplies. He should have been more angry at the Beast for threatening his friends and  _Dana_ \- but the prospect of being forced to consume prey not really suited for him was a stronger motivation than losing Dana, much to his horror.

But, at its basic, it  _worked_ . Appealing to his lesser instincts was much more successful than trying to find another explanation. He couldn't over-think something as simple as this. All he had to do was take out a rival. He could do that. 

And he was as ready as possible- Gas Works resembled Manhattan during the final days. Thick strands of flesh covered most surfaces, pulsing glowing boils grew from derelict office buildings and gas silos. There weren't any infected around, just  _him_ , though he was going to make it look like there were. Why risk his own life if he couldn't fuck with someone's mind a little while at it?

His allies had left the area already, had wandered back into Ascension Parish and Fort Phillipe, where the rebels and police forces had taken all gathered civilians from Flood Town and at least half of those from the Old Town. Phillipe would hopefully protect them well enough with its thick walls, and the army stationed there could evacuate them more easily if all were in one place. Alex hoped he would manage to keep the Beast contained to the Gas Works and Flood Town, though had them prepared for the skirmish to escalate into the Old Town.

When White appeared in the middle of Gas Works, the Hive reacted immediately. Thick slabs of flesh ripped from the closest silos and slammed into the burning entity with enough force to make him stumble. Taken by surprise, White snarled in his throat as he side-stepped to keep his balance, when the warehouse right next to him was suddenly torn apart and bled tentacles that snatched at his burning ankle.

Alex growled and charged towards the giant Conduit, forming his Armor and Hammerfists on the way, then kicked off the street the very last second to thrust himself into the Beast's shoulder region, bouncing off it to get above his head. He swung his fists down  _hard_ , and White staggered to the front with a frustrated grunt, before he suddenly ignited and sent flames spewing everywhere. The Runner just snorted and air-dashed back into the inferno. He shell would protect him well enough anyways. He pulled his arms closer to his body as he started forcing his biomass into tight layers beneath his Armor, bouncing off the Beast and delivering another fierce kick to his head before he slammed his hands down and released the pressure in a Devastator. 

White reeled back, roaring as the dense mass ripped through his shoulder and sent his lava-like insides splattering across the buildings behind his back. Biomass crashed into his knees from behind, toppling the giant this time. Alex dashed away, hitting the roof of a gas silo at the same moment the giant collapsed a refinery nearby.

Gas was set on fire instantly, and turned the whole block into a white-hot ball of flames that spewed into every direction. It should have been uncomfortable for Alex- and it was- but he was too busy to enjoy the devastation to really pay attention to how his surface blistered and turned to ash. It had been too long since he'd been near a Thermobaric Tank, and he felt a little nostalgic as the inferno washed over him.

It was gone entirely too fast. Alex grunted and changed to Musclemass as he waited for White to get back up-

He was  _gone_ . Alex's eyes widened behind his face plate as he whirled in place to find him again- you couldn't just lose a five-story-tall burning  _giant_ , for fuck's sake- A massive hand seized him brutally and tore him off his feet as the Beast materialized out of nowhere. The fist clenched down, cracking Alex's armor as the giant lifted him to eye-height. 

Alex only grinned. He had expected something of the sort already (albeit not as early), and loosened the cohesion of his own body. The moment his form dissolved into thousands of tendrils, his consciousness already reformed inside the nearest Hive, growing a new body as he pushed to the outside and charged the Beast again. The giant was still reeling from his sudden disappearance, and staggered to the back when the Runner collided with his leg again and tore through what should have been his Achilles tendon with his Blade.

But there wasn't anything beneath that could be damaged, just lava-like substance. The stumbling was more psychosomatic than anything, and White was already whirling on him the next second. Alex dodged to the side to avoid being crushed underfoot, though he felt impressed by how quick White accepted himself.

He had needed a week to realize what he was. But, like him, there were still some things that the Beast  _needed_ in order to function, some things he clung to. Like his mental dependency on a human body. 

Alex was the same, so he knew perfectly well how to take him.

_Target the eyes. The legs. Arms._ It wouldn't really stop him, but it would slow him down. That was all he needed. 

He growled, and the buildings on either side of him shattered as the Biomass ripped from the ground and slammed hard against the Conduit's legs to take his attention. At the same time, Alex rushed past the giant and kicked off to catapult himself as high as he could with the Armor, then Air-dashed into the entity's back to get him to swing towards him- and leaving himself wide open when the Biomass beneath twisted once and suddenly turned into massive clusters of black spears, each two or three stories tall themselves, and embed themselves into the Conduit's abdomen and legs.

The Beast jerked and roared in pain, and flames spewed out of the injuries the next second as he turned into something that could have been loosely described as a second sun. The heat was so immense, it ate through the remote Devastator near instantly and forced Alex to get some distance.  
But that was fine, he had a bunch of tactics that didn't require close combat anyways. He rushed over to a gas tank and yanked it free, swung around and chucked it at the giant in one fluid motion. The Beast snarled and tore its protective veil apart, clenching one fist. Alex immediately ducked down and rooted himself in the ground when a black hole appeared under the Conduit's fist, sucking in loose rubble.

He had seen the likes already, years ago in Manhattan. There was only one reason why somebody would draw in material. Alex swore under his breath and slammed his body into the ground to melt into the Hive when White flipped the suction of the Black Hole and fired the rubble at near sonic speed at him.

The stones tore the ground open, and he distinctly felt some of them embed themselves into his Biomass with enormous force. His dense tissue swallowed and distributed the shockwave away before it could cause harm, though he quickly figured he was still too close to the surface to hide.  
At the same time, the thin barrier between himself and the surface offered enough visual protection to disguise the real extent of the Hive from sight. Which was more than enough to create some nasty surprises.

The second he felt the shape shift above, he wrenched another Devastator from the Hive and was rewarded by another enraged roar and the distinct feeling of being scorched alive. The next second, he tore himself free from the Hive and broke through the street, with his Armor and Musclemass ready.

This time, he didn't appear alone. “Hey, White!” He shouted, drawing the Conduit's attention from where he was hunched over half a block away. “Try somebody your own size for a bit!”

The Buildings besides him collapsed, flesh twisted into towering shapes. One arm was atrophied, barely useable. The barrel-like body sat on two massive legs, and the other arm was wide, shield-like. The mouth was constantly gaping, with razor-like teeth and tiny sunken eyes sitting above.

Goliath.

And there were three of them. Alex grinned, teeth white and shark-like beneath his Armor as he set them on White. An idea, cobbled together after he consumed the Behemoth. Bertrand never had feedback from his creatures, and they only followed one command. Not like the Hive had been, with constant communication. It was far more simple, far more efficient for a single job, with far less drawbacks for the focus of the Hive.

Alex had created them from the genetic codes he collected back in Manhattan. Then he told them to attack White and only White. And they did. Roaring, the three Goliaths lunged at the Beast that still towered over them. The Conduit snarled and ripped half a building apart to throw its remains at the Infected. They didn't react. Alex smirked.

And moved. His body launched to the front, using one of the Goliaths as spring board as he curled up and thrust himself like a cannon ball into the Beast's throat. The giant reeled back and he bounced off, then repeated his action again, this time colliding with the shoulder.  
When he thrust himself down for another tackle, the Conduit vanished in a pillar of flames, leaving the Runner to collide with one of the Goliaths and send it crashing into the ground. Alex grunted and rushed back upwards, spinning to try and find the giant again.

The Beast seemed to materialize out of nowhere as he seized the closest Infected and dug in his fingers with enough force to shatter bone and tear through soft tissue. The Goliath screeched- and the giant ripped it apart with nothing more than a shrug of his shoulders. The halves turned to ashed  _instantly_ .

Alex only snorted in reaction and rushed to the side to grab a piece of wall. His tentacles wrapped around the material, stabilizing it as he yanked it free. Biomass spread across the surface the next second, and once he had it hauled to the top of a roof, Alex chucked it with full force at the Beast. The very moment it made contact, the Biomass erupted in the form of a smaller Tendril Barrage Devastator, tearing into the Beast's structure with enough force to take a good chunk out of his chest. White snarled and yanked his hand out, creating a powerful shockwave that shredded three warehouses and damaged one of the Goliaths to the point it reeled over and crashed the substation beneath.

Electrical discharges raced across the Hive as it reached out to absorb the Infected. Alex just bared his teeth in an unhinged grin as two new Infected giants broke free of a gas refinery and immediately charged the Beast. White snarled and slammed his fists down, shattering the street and burning through some of the Biomass beneath. The loss of tissues was negligible, the loss of balance not, and Alex just barely managed to get out of range as the Beast followed up with a massive wall of flames that melted most of the buildings nearby and burnt at least one Goliath to death.

Like a living Thermobaric Tank, and it was fucking  _beautiful_ . 

“ _Get yourself together!”_ Heller barked, taking all momentum he had. 

Alex grumbled.  _Already on it._ Hydras snapped from the ground, screeching, and ripping the remaining power cables apart. _Contact Cole, doubt we can use any of the substations here in Gas Works._

“ _Fucking wonderful. You need any help?”_

_I'd be grateful for any kind of distraction, as long you don't get too close to this bastard._

“ _What kind of range are we talking here?”_

_Three blocks, give or take some. Up to ten when he's using the Blasts. Hopefully it won't get to that._

White roared, drawing Alex's attention. The giant crushed a Goliath and burnt it to ashes, then yanked half a fractional column from its mounting and beat the other into bloody chunks. The Hive could re-absorb that one, at least. The others, not so much.

Didn't matter.

Thick slabs of flesh ripped from the street beneath the Beast and slammed so violently into his legs, the giant stumbled to his knees, only to find the ground caving in as well. Half the entire block crumbled and collapsed in on itself as a massive sinkhole opened up and swallowed everything in closer vicinity.

“ _Take cover!”_

Alex rushed to the side the moment he spotted a pair of F-22 swoop down and drop several high-yield warheads towards the Beast on the ground. Most of the block ceased to exist, and he distinctly felt the Hive groan and whine at the loss. It wasn't too much, but it reminded him of each time he disguised himself as Blackwatch to order an Air Strike.

Just...it wasn't  _enough_ . The flames still erupting were sucked into a massive vortex, seconds before it exploded outside and the Beast stepped out with an earth-rumbling growl. Alex snorted disbelievingly. Hell, he'd know this guy was tough, but if White had been like the Supreme Hunter, he still would've been dead like three times over already. A lot more if he'd just been a normal Conduit like Cole.

_This_ White just kept getting up over and over and over again. It was...enjoyable to fight somebody who could  _take it_ .

But Alex himself couldn't keep this up forever. He had enough Biomass, but it was spread all over the city. And his storage here in Gas Works was meager- he'd needed to get to the other districts to get his mass back, but couldn't leave the Beast without supervision.

_Right now he had one body, all over the city._

_Feels more like a cage to me._

It wasn't a cage. Blacklight was  _him_ . He was thinking too much like a human, like a general controlling an army.

“ _Motherfucker”_

He was  _thinking_ too much, period. What he had to do was simple. All he needed to do was to keep the Beast down for as long as it took Cole to activate the RFI. It worked before, he'd seen it.

_Bertrand assumed he would have been able to stop the Beast. Bertrand doesn't have any powers other than infecting other living beings and turn into giant monsters-- Both things you can do too, technically._

_If I can hit the Beast with a city worth of Blacklight, I can keep it down._

_Just hit it with everything I got._ The city began to shake, stopping the Beast in his tracks for a moment. Buildings shattered as glowing pustules tore open to bleed Biomass. Infected creatures he'd grown as an army before screeched and collapsed into formless matter that seeped into every crack all throughout New Marais to scuttle to its focus.

Alex flicked his claws and kicked off the ground to race up the central Bleeding Pipe of Gas Works. White snarled and threw his arm out to shatter it, but left himself open in the process. Alex leapt into the air while the construction collapsed behind him, and thrust his body right into the Beast's face. The giant reeled back from the impact and the surprise, and the Runner jabbed his claws through his left eyeball to plant a cluster of Groundspikes right through the Beast's skull.

White roared as his upper body was devastated and Alex let go to screw himself high into the air. With a burst of concentrated air, he dashed away, then angled his body to shoot towards the ground and impact hard into the destroyed streets. This was going to be uncomfortable.

“ _You know he's going to come back, right?”_

_I know. I just needed him distracted for a moment._ His body fell apart.  _Please don't shoot me._

“ _Shoot you? Why? What have you planned?”_

_Not sure yet. Going to go with what feels most natural._

His consciousness flickered off for a short moment when he connected to the Hive, before everything came to life beneath the streets of Gas Works. Alex grunted once and pushed back to the surface.

* * *

So this was it, the end of the road. The RFI sat heavy against his back as Cole approached the pier at Fort Phillipe. Nix, Kuo, Zeke, Dana and Heller were already present, all of them tense in themselves as they watched the clouds billowing from the Gas Works. The Beast himself wasn't visible, not at this distance and not with all the buildings between them, but Cole was well aware that he was there.

“Mercer's buying us time”, Heller growled. “Better not waste it.” Cole grunted in reply. He had asked why Heller hadn't just carried him over to Gas Works when Zeke and Dana managed to piece the RFI together, though the Evolved declined. “I'm not fast enough, and I can't cross large bodies of water. Can't glide like he does. Plus, what if the area goes to shit before you get there? Better you have a chance to turn around and get the Hell out of dodge then.”

Something crashed in Gas Works and a massive pillar of flame erupted, ripping through the smoke. Kuo grimaced. “Think he can deal?”

“He can. Mercer literally _can not die_ ”, Heller replied. “Not as long I or any piece of him remains. Which is why he's our best shot to buy us time.”

“And we shouldn't waste it”, Dana declared, clapping her hands. “Get into the boat guys, get over to Gas Works, and get this damn RFI charged.” Flames illuminated the bog for a short moment, and Dana grit her teeth. “And get that idiot out before he gets himself _killed_!”

Cole could see the moment Heller was about to argue, but he cut himself off when Laroche hurried towards them. And following after the man- Cole did a double-take. “Lisa?!” Was all he blurted. The Air Conduit gave a little awkward wave with a camcorder.

“Laroche told me what was going on, and I want to help”, she explained, “I can't fight, but I can get in and out of places pretty fast. And I...I want to let the World know what we're doing here. So they won't fear Conduits.” She cut herself off and ducked at the sound of the Beast roaring, and a second sun flaring to life briefly. 

Heller scowled. “Then stay away as far as possible”, he growled. “We can't protect you, so you need to look after yourself. Laroche, get this barge going!” Cole nearly fumbled it when the Evolved threw a small military radio at him. “Keep it switched on, we'll need to be able to update each other.”

Kuo and Nix already fixed their radios to their belts, while Laroche just stared at his. “Uh, who made you our boss?”

“General Rooks did”, Heller claimed. “Made me commander of the Red Zone team. Which consists of us. So move it.”

His tone left no room for arguments- the Conduits and Laroche scrambled into the boat, while Lisa inhaled once and took off. Dana and Zeke remained behind, watching them as they pulled away.

Cole's attention was on the Gas Work, where fire and smoke inhibited him from seeing anything. He could hear the occasional roar or crash clearly, but his radar wouldn't work from John's close proximity.

Heller's jaw was set, and he kept cussing under his breath. “Of course. Of  _course_ you gotta summon Goliaths. What the Fuck, you skinny white bitch ass?” He grumbled under his breath for a few more moments while they sped across the murky water. 

Cole stared at the water, feeling queasy- until he felt like somebody just punched him into the guts and he had to grab the rail to keep his balance. “Get yourself together!” The Evolved suddenly barked- not at him, he realized the next moment, but empty space, before he cut himself off and adopted an exasperated expression. “Fucking Wonderful. You need any help? -- What kind of range are we talking here?”

The Electric Conduit turned to glance at Kuo and Nix, who both watched the exchange with a confused expression, then flinched when Heller whirled on them. “Change of plan: Laroche- get  _back_ !”

“Whu-? Why?”

“We gotta get away from Gas Works. Shit's gone sideways!” The man grabbed his radio hard. “Cross, we need some raid. Three Blocks minimum, ten maximum. Let's hope it won't get to that.”

“ _Got it. We got a pair of F-22 en route.”_

Heller nodded. “Take cover!”

White-hot fire blasted the smoke apart, as the next moment two fighting jets shot across the red sky. The roar of their engines came a moment later, and was loud enough to rattle his frame. Cole grit his teeth at the feeling of  _nothing_ echoing inside his head.

There was a roar and he spun, then froze in place.

“Oh. Dis does no look good”, Nix only deadpanned when a truly _massive_ tidal wave raced towards them.

“Get out, now!” Heller barked as he dove towards Laroche to pull him away from the controls. Nix kicked off and vanished in a flurry of flames without wasting any more time, while Kuo did the same with a short exclamation. Heller grabbed Cole. “You go!” He reeled back his arm and just _threw_ the Conduit high into the air before leaping off the boat himself, dragging Laroche with him.

The wave hit the boat and crushed it, and nearly swallowed the Evolved and the Rebel leader at the next moment. Heller moved like he kicked against the air and boosted himself higher, then threw his hand out to gesture towards Ascension Parish before he hit the water with enough speed and force to briefly bounce off it and stay relatively out of its range. Cole grit his teeth and enveloped himself in flames to soar towards the closest dock himself.

The tidal wave was faster than him, ripping into the quay wall and shredding the wooden construction of the pier. He swore under his breath, dipping lower and lower- and hit solid ice the next second. Kuo stood on land, expression strained as she literally froze the entire wave by herself.

Water roared behind him as Cole raced towards her, while the ice broke beneath his feet. There was too much force, too much momentum to stop the surge completely, and once Cole was on land, Kuo caved in and turned to run when her construction shattered under the strength of the churned bog.

The ground was still shaking like mad, even as the two of them stopped on top of a building to briefly catch their breaths. Nix and Heller arrived at that moment, with the Evolved dropping Laroche to the roof. “Motherfucker”

“Yeah, I second that”, the rebel leader groaned. “Man, I knew it'll be dangerous, but this just took the friggin' cake.”

“The substation in Gas Work's gone, right?” Cole questioned. “I thought I felt something of the sort.”

“It is, and Flood Town's out of question too”, Heller growled. “Too close to the Beast.”

“I know where the next substation is”, Kuo threw in, “C'mon-”

Heller scoffed, making them pause momentarily. “You know he's going to come back, right?” His brows furrowed. “Shoot you? Why? What have you planned?”

Then his expression turned into the 'Holy Shit' category, and his hand snapped up to his radio. “Cross! Do  _not_ shoot the other guy! You hear me? Do  _not shoot the other guy!!_ ”

“ _Acknowledged”_

“What other guy?” Laroche demanded to know, just as confused as Nix and Kuo were. Cole was about to ask when out of nowhere his back started crawling in alarm.

One block in Gas Works was  _obliterated_ when giant black spears ripped from the ground, clearly visible despite the smoke obscuring the view. Something large followed after them, shaking off rubble and debris like water once it was on the surface, and orange light flared to life like flames.  
But it wasn't fire- it were biolumniscent spots. Situated along the edges of armor plates growing out of a  _very_ big creature.

Cole inhaled sharply. “Uhm... Is that  _Alex_ ?”

Heller grunted. “Nope. He's only  _Alex_ if he's in his human shape.  _This_ is the Hive on legs, and it's fully pissed off.” A roar ripped through the still air, and shattered most of the windows nearby. They reeled back from the sheer force of the sound when the world seemed to stop and everything turned gray-

Seconds before a massive red shockwave erupted from the monster and erased half of Gas Works in one go. Flames sprang upwards and refineries collapsed amidst an ear-splitting cacophony of explosions and collapsing buildings. The Beast briefly lost his cohesion as well, but reformed quickly enough.

The Evolved only grimaced. “Yup. Fully pissed off.”

“Dude”, Cole hissed. “He just went full _Kaiju_. This isn't just 'pissed off'!”

Another roar shook the ground, seconds before the creature  _lunged_ at the Beast, colliding with the way smaller and much lighter Conduit to drive him into the ground. Attack Choppers swooped in, firing their payloads at the downed Beast. Also at Alex, but he didn't even bother to notice them.

“Cole!” He felt a tug at his wrist and turned to see Kuo's determined face. “Stop gawking. We have to go!”

Right, the RFI.

Cole shook himself free, but flinched when he heard a heavy thud that sounded suspiciously like a fist hitting a jaw, followed by a disgruntled snarl that rattled his bones.

“Don' waste time!” Nix snapped at him. “'e got dis! We gotta do our part!”

He nodded and lunged across the roofs, following after Kuo's icy mist. Heller was hot on his heels, while Laroche remained on that roof and tore at his hair at the destruction in Gas Works.

On the way, Cole spotted several tanks parked a few blocks away from Fort Phillipe, aiming their cannons towards Old Town. There were also a few Supersoldiers, all of them looking up as they passed. “What's up with them?”

“Blackwatch got orders to keep the Beast away from Phillipe and the civilian population the Marines evacuated there”, Heller explained. “Not sure whether they can manage, but they'll try.”

“Cole!” He stopped abruptly at Nix's voice. The Fire Conduit stood atop a small building, pointing towards the ground. “Dere is one of dem stations!”

One of those he had switched on, back when he needed to get into Ascension Parish. He nodded and dove downwards, hitting the street in a roll as he approached the device. There was a plug to the side that fit perfectly into the RFI, which made him wonder just how much Wolfe had thought was necessary. He plugged the orb in and flipped a switch.

Electricity crackled inside his head like a soothing bonfire in a chilly night and the RFI hummed almost contently.

The machine made a  _clunk_ noise, and wheezed once before abruptly switching off. Cole frowned. “Oh what the Hell?”

“Ah, shit”, Heller growled. “That just was the emergency shutdown.”

“...What?”

“Guess the RFI counts as something that doesn't belong, so when the system noticed it, it shut down.”

“Shit”, Nix hissed. “Now wat?”

“Get to the next station”, Kuo pointed out simply. “Repeat the action. See whether it'll work this time.”

“Best idea. Let's do this.” Cole already turned around to climb the closest building, when his head screamed in alarm at him. The radio on his shoulder squealed, spitting out chopped up words. _“Target lost--rep---targ--ost!”_

Flames erupted in the middle of Ascension Parish, and a giant orb of fire raced towards them the very next second. Kuo gave a cry of alarm before she slammed both palms flat against the ground to summon a wall of ice. Cole jumped into action immediately, stomping on the floor himself to increase the thickness of the shield with his own ice powers.

The fiery orb bounced off the wall with a resounding  _crack_ , shattering half of it, but leaving them unharmed. Nix hissed and yanked her fist to the side, blasting the flames with fire of her own to consume the oxygen before the blaze could spread.

Heller swore softly as the Beast stepped out of the smoke and growled at them. He didn't look too hot himself- Cole could see the hole drilled through John's shoulder, could see the countless open 'wounds' on his lava-like body that revealed his glowing insides. Didn't slow him down, though, because the giant threw his palm out and blasted them with a shockwave, shattering the remains of their ice wall.

Helicopters swooped down suddenly, spewing missiles and getting him to back off for a moment, just as Heller yanked a car off the ground and chucked it at the Beast himself.

Then the ground buckled and shook like an earthquake hit when something  _huge_ approached at high speed. John spun on his heel and threw his hands out, barely stopping Alex's brutal charge attack.

Up close, Cole realized just how  _huge_ he was. Easily as long as a fully-loaded freight train, with a body that reminded him of a mixture between Bertrand's monster form, a centipede and a mantis, clad in thick slabs of black chitin and topped off with massive metal spikes jutting out of his back. He snarled and pushed the Beast back, when Heller grabbed the Electric Conduit and roughly yanked him around. “C'mon, leave the monster wrestling to the big gun. You have to finish this thing!”

Cole nodded and threw out his lighting tether to pull himself on top of another building and dash into the direction of another Substation. He felt heat lick at his back and heard the deep growl of either combatant as John finally pushed the massive creature back and blasted him with a stream of fire.

If he noticed, he didn't show, just shook his crested head and retched once to spit up several glowing green orbs that hovered in the air next to him for a moment, before they shot at John and exploded against his surface with enough force to splatter some more of his insides.

Nix took a moment to whoop when she materialized right next to Cole for a moment, then disappeared again. Kuo made a face and focused back to the front as they raced towards the next substation.

A building collapsed when the Beast made his re-appearance and swiped his arm at them in an attempt to stop them. Heller lunged upwards and delivered a fierce kick to the Conduit's wrist to briefly stop him, then dived to the side when a pair of tanks rounded a corner and fired at the giant. John turned his attention on the tanks instead, but was tackled into and smashed into another block by Alex, who unfolded his mantis-like arms and snatched them around the burning giant like a vice. Likely trying to break him in half, because John made an enraged sound as lava sprayed from his chest and hips.

As Cole jabbed the RFI into the substation, the Beast ripped one arm of his foe clean off and burnt it to ash, while the Hive creature stumbled and was forced to loosen his hold.

The Electric Conduit grit his teeth. “Kuo! Get the RFI and move it over to the Old Town. I'll catch up!”

“Cole?!” He didn't hear her protest as he latched his tether against the side of Alex's mandibles, pulling himself closer. He seized one of the small palps jutting out of the corners of his maw and braced one foot against the dark chitinous jaw. Static electricity raced through his body and the dark clouds overhead rumbled in reply. 

Then he yanked his hand down and sheets of lightning slammed into the Beast's body to completely obliterate his form.

He was going to get back up again, if Empire was any clue, so Cole quickly scrambled up on the eyeless skull and patted the Hive monster's crest once. “Thanks, dude”

Alex just snorted and threw his head upwards to flick Cole off and give him the altitude and distance needed to soar towards the Old Town, while he ducked down and slammed his arms into the ground to re-grow the missing limb and force a massive cluster of Groundspikes out to keep the Beast from reforming too soon.

Cole hit a rooftop several blocks away, just in time for Kuo to materialize next to him. “This wasn't very smart, Cole”, she complained.

“Worked, didn't it?” He gave back with a grin. His expression shifted. “The RFI?”

“Still not fully loaded, I'm afraid. I think it's about half full, though, so two more should do the trick.”

“Where?”

“One in the lower right corner of the Smut Triangle, one in St. Ignatius's Clock to-” She was cut off when Nix tackled into her and Cole out of nowhere and yanked them off their feet-

Just barely avoiding the burning helicopter that crashed into the roof and exploded. Cole still tried to head back and wrench the door open, but Heller stopped him with a grim expression. “Pilot's been dead on impact, no need to hurt yourself.”

Cole tried to argue, Heller just sighed. “I get the body. You get to the substation.” A building fell apart and Blacklight screeched as one of his legs collapsed the weak underground and made him lose his balance briefly. Heller shoved at Cole's shoulder. “Hurry!”

Kuo seized his arm and dragged him off. A few steps later Cole had shaken himself free and was running towards the edge of the roof to leap off. Nix and Kuo were directly behind him, covering his back.

He hated being the one that had to reach the substations, hated that the others risked their lives for  _him_ . He'd rather be the one to take the fight to John- he  _needed_ to be the one. He  _needed_ to be the one to take the Beast down.

“Cole!” Nix appeared besides him, eyes dark. “Don' ya tink of goin' back. Ya de only dat can use dis damn ting!”

“I won't let you die”, he hissed.

“A won'”, she cackled. “But dat bastard took mah 'ome. Am gonna beat 'im up for it.”

“She's right”, Kuo threw in. “And it's my _job_ to protect you. I got the badge and everything.”

“I can't-”

“You _can_. Now shut up, do your job, and stop trying to do ours for us!”

He swallowed, still seething, but he knew he was outvoted on that front. They were ready to protect him with all they had. He couldn't insult them by doing what they told him not to.

Green orbs impacted into the roof besides him, reminding him to stop dragging his ass. He sped up, rushing along the blocks while Alex continued to slow down the Beast without stomping too much on the city. Pretty considerate for a Kaiju, he thought.

He vaulted across an AC unit and kicked off the ground to soar across another gap, locating the substation almost immediately. It was situated on top of a larger building, likely the old town hall, or something.

Cross was present, rocket launcher propped up on his shoulder. The Colonel glanced at him as he approached and plugged the RFI in. He couldn't help but ask. “Your team?”

“Spread out across the city. No idea who's still alive, this bastard fucks over the comms.” 

Something crashed nearby, and Cole whirled at Nix's swear. The Beast had managed to shake his pursuers and came straight for them again. Cole grunted and clenched his fist again to send another lightning storm down on his ass and keep him at distance.

John was stopped only for a short moment this time, having likely anticipated the attack. Or, worse- adapting to his powers. Cross grunted once. “Fuck. You should think of something else very fast.”

Then Alex collided with John again, screeching at the giant as he tried to hold him down. John, on his part, struggled for a moment before he jabbed his arm into the Hive's armor just above the first pair of legs and  _pulled_ , ripping out most of the shell covering Alex's chest and instantly disintegrating it. The Hive shrieked in pain and backed off, curling his body to protect himself while the damage healed.

Colonel Blackwatch only snorted and casually aimed his rocket launcher. “Don't worry, he's a bit of a drama queen about shit like that. He'll be fine.” He fired his weapon at John's right eye socket, stopping him in his tracks long enough for Alex to dive at him and try to disembowel him in return.

“See? Drama Queen”

A growl shook the air, and the Colonel just scoffed. “Don't give me that, I know you are. Now keep that bastard down for a bit, we got incoming.”

The Beast snarled once and erupted in flames, wrenching himself out of existence for the moment. He was going to be back soon enough.

“St. Ignatius”, Cole realized. “There's the last substation!”

“He might try to beat you to it”, Cross finished. A snarl was all he got as answer, and the massive Hive creature sped off, way faster than anything that size had any right to. The Colonel shrugged. “Now _he_ might beat you to it, too. Hurry if you want to prevent the power grid from going down, MacGrath.”

There was no time left. Cole instantly threw out his lightning tether to latch it onto the tallest building nearby and reeled himself in to use the momentum to fling himself through the air.

Smoke was billowing from the churchyard, black and red smothered by fire and smothering flames in return.

The Beast fighting the Hive for every inch.

“He can't stop him!” Kuo yelled over the howling wind. “See that?!”

Cole did. The Hive was losing. Slowly, but steadily.

“Shit. How?”

“Best guess? He's too big. Body that size needs a ridiculous amount of energy just keeping its metabolism going. And he's healing the entire time too. Eventually he will just run dry.” Heller was simply besides them. Like he had materialized out of nowhere. “Blacklight can bend the rules, but not ignore them.”

Cole's teeth ground together so hard he tasted blood. “But  _we_ can.”

“Cole?”

“Haven't you noticed? The entire time we've been using our powers without end- and not one of us grew tired. Because the Beast is the Conduit of Conduit Powers. It is a tear to our power source, constantly bleeding energy.” He balled his fist and lightning crackled across his body. “I can stop John long enough to cut him off.” He threw his hand out, creating a singular massive beam of energy that ripped through the Beast's sternum and blasted a hole right into the ground behind him. John dropped to his knees, startled expression on his face.

The last time he'd seen a blast like that he had faced off against Kessler.

“I can stop him”, he said. “You load the RFI, and I'll come back to fire it off.”

“Ya won'”, Nix growled. “De Beast, 'e 'urt mah too. Ya won' get to face 'im.” Flames licked along her arms. “A will. Ya won' stop mah.”

“Me neither”, Kuo declared. “He's been your friend. Mine too, Cole. We worked together. But now he betrays everything we were taught. I need to stop him. Or at least _try_ to.”

“You could die!”

“Same goes for you.” Kuo cocked her head. “You don't need to carry everything. Let us help and stop being selfish.”

Nix grinned. “An' wat about deat'? Ya die only wen nobody tinks of ya anymore. But ya save de world, an' people will  _know_ ya, Cole. And remember wat Zek' said. Half as long-”

“Twice as bright” Cole forced a grin. “Give 'em Hell.”

“Oh, we will.” Nix cackled loudly as she leapt off their perch and enveloped herself in deep red flames. Kuo gave a two-finger salute and leapt after her with ice encasing her body. Seconds later, both impacted into the still-downed Beast in a twin explosion of fire and ice, forcing the giant Conduit on his hands and knees while Alex finally scrambled back upright. Heller sighed and slapped his shoulder. “Hurry”

He leapt off too, forming his Blade to slam it deep into John's skull as Alex lunged to the front and ripped off half his face with his teeth, ignoring the fire eating into his jaw and bleeding down his throat.

Cole threw his tether out and latched onto the Clock Tower, yanking himself close. He hit the floor with the substation  _hard_ and stumbled briefly in his haste to yank the RFI out of his bag and jab it into the relay. 

The machine hummed, then hissed and spat sparks before it went dark.

But the orb was glowing brightly.

“ _End of the Road, Cole.”_ Kessler whispered as he took it back. _“Are you ready?”_

“Never been more.”

“ _Then do it.”_

His fingers closed around the handles. He exhaled once and forced all thoughts out of his head.  _“End of the road.”_

He activated the RFI.

And Trish smiled at him. “Hello Cole, welcome home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we see Alex destroying half of Gas Works before going Kaiju.  
> Fixed the in-game portrayal of the events, because, quite frankly, it was an insult to logic.
> 
> This isn't the end, despite the forboding title. We got one more chapter incoming.


	30. The World set free

It was nice, waking up with Trish. Even if it was his crappy old bed in their crappy apartment at the butt end of the Neon District of Empire.

“We should get up. I can smell breakfast”, Trish pointed out.

“Breakfast is a good idea”, Cole commented, “But I don't want to get up.”

“Cold eggs are yucky”, she slapped him with the pillow. “C'mon lazyass.”

Reluctantly, he let her go so she could get up and go look for her clothes, throwing him his pants when she unearthed them. “Hmph. We should talk about the condition you live in”, she declared. “It's a real pigsty.”

“Yeah. Let's do that after breakfast”, he acknowledged with a grin and shuffled after her.

When he walked into the living room/dining room, Harms was manning the stove and flipping pancakes with one hand, while stirring eggs with bacon with the other. Amy was sitting at the table, checking her phone. Kessler was sprawled over the couch, reading a book and needling the warden without looking up. “You could be a good housewife, you know?”

“Har-di-har”, Harms gave back. “My actual wife tells me the same.” He glanced over his shoulder as Cole and Trish arrived. “Yo, finally you're awake. Slept well?”

“Yup”, Trish chirped and sat on the table next to her sister. Amy pushed a cup of coffee at her while mumbling something about 'should have showered first, you reek of that idiot'. Harms turned back to his pans. “Old man, move your bony wrinkly ass and set the table, will you?”

The First Son's Leader sighed and put his book down before getting up with a little grunt and went to collect the plates and cutlery. Cole watched him with a frown. It wasn't the first time he'd seen him around here, or in this company.

“Still wondering what I'm doing here, huh?” Kessler seemed amused.

“Yeah. Kind of? I mean, shouldn't you be in Hell? For, I don't know, murdering a bunch of people?”

“Me included”, Trish added without any real heat in her words as she leafed through the newspaper.

Kessler shrugged. “Never gave much for the whole life-after-death-thing. Maybe this  _is_ Hell. Or Heaven. Or there is no such thing and everybody who ever died just gets together. Or there is nothing after you die and this here is just your consciousness shutting down.”

“You think I'm dead?”

“Why else should you be here?” Harms questioned as he dished out eggs and pancake. “I mean, I'm pretty sure I arrived here when Kessler and the girls had been already present.”

“Huh”, Cole sat on his chair, poking his food with his fork. “At least I don't see Kuo or Nix here. Or Zeke. Should be a good sign, right?”

“Oh, definitely”, Amy grinned. “Don't want to spend eternity with _Dunbar_.”

“Amy, be nice”, Trish reminded her.

“It's true. He's revolting.”

“He changed in the last month”, Cole declared. “Risked his life to help me, in fact. Build me a nice weapon. Helped people against Bertrand.”

Kessler scoffed. “Oh Lord. That old goat? I hope you kicked his ass.”

“We did. Kuo and Nix, and Alex, and Heller, and Colonel Blackwatch, and Laroche, and Zeke helped, too, and Dana sabotaged his flight.” Cole paused, sighing. “I miss them. Just as I missed you guys.” He paused, glanced at Kessler. “Except you. I would have been glad if I haven't seen you again.”

“I know, I'm not your favorite person, but remember- this is likely _your_ weird head-space. So it's _your_ fault I'm here in the first place.” He shrugged. “Or not, but then I don't see how Bertrand's not present.”

“Ugh”, Amy complained. “Another old geezer? You're already bad enough, old man.” She turned to Trish before she could be admonished again. “Hey, can we go to the mall today? I've seen an awesome dress there. Need to try it on.”

“You know we don't have the money for those clothes.”

“I never said I want to buy it. Just try it on, and get the clerk's hopes up. Then dash it when I leave without buying anything.” She grinned mischievously. “The look on their faces gives me sustenance.”

Trish groaned. Harms snickered. Cole grinned into his eggs.

Kessler just took a sip of his coffee, watching him. “You would like to see them again, don't you? Zeke, and Alex, and the others.”

Cole blinked. “Uh, yeah. But I figured I'm here. And I was ready, so no use crying over spilt milk, no?”

Kessler hummed. “Not necessarily.”

“Not-” He cut himself off, eyes narrowing. “What do you mean?”

Trish cut in. “What he meant to say is that you don't  _need_ to stay here. You can go back.”

“Go back...you mean come back to life?”

“I don't think you ever really died”, Kessler claimed. “You experienced this before, right? When you first got your powers. You have been functionally dead too.”

“I haven't seen dead people then.”

“Maybe that was because there hadn't been anybody that meant enough to you to show up in the first place”, Harms assumed, shoving another piece of pancake into his mouth. “But now- look, Cole. Everybody who's present is somebody who was important to you in one way or the other. Even that old geezer here.”

“It is in your powers to go back”, Kessler added. “Just think about it- how does the body function? It's all electrical signals. You are an electrical Conduit.” He leaned back, tapping the fingers of his metal hand against the table as his glowing eyes watched the younger man closely.

Again, Cole had the feeling Kessler knew exactly what he was thinking. Though, to be fair, he was sure it was obvious from his expression. He...could go back?

But...did he even  _deserve_ it?

“You think it would be a betrayal”, Trish seemed amused.

Cole sighed. “Yeah. I mean, I was ready for death. Now you tell me I can go back and it feels like cheating.”

“Really?” Harms snorted amused. “You saved the world and you don't want to join it? You have a _chance_ here, MacGrath. You can do what we won't be able to do.”

“And that is exactly why it feels like betrayal”, he snapped. “Because I'm the one to blame that you are _dead_!”

“And there we go again”, Amy groaned, dropping her head on the table. “Seriously, Cole, you got the hots for punishment, do you?” She turned her head slightly to glare at him. “You should listen to yourself, man. Is it _your_ fault that this old geezer here pressed the button on that dumb bomb? Is it _your_ fault for saving a bunch of doctors? Is it _your_ fault the Beast appeared? No, God damnit! So _stop. Blaming. Yourself._ ”

“She's right”, Harms added. “You stopped the collapse of Empire City. You stopped the Beast. Everybody who helped only helped because you showed them that it worked. You are a damn Hero, Cole. So go, do what you really _want_ to do. It is your choice.”

“And look”, Trish continued. “We're _dead_ , Cole. You are _not_. It wouldn't be fair to have you stop living just because we have. We won't go anywhere else, but you can. I wouldn't waste that chance, if I were you.”

Cole swallowed. “I-”

Trish smiled at him again. “If you don't want to, you can stay here with us, or you can go back to Zeke and your other friends. None of us will judge you for whatever way you decide to. We're all proud of you either way.”

“You can take some time”, Kessler informed him as he got up to put the dishes away. “Just remember that the longer you wait, the harder it will be.”

It didn't take Cole long in the end. Two hours in which he thought about it. Once he decided, lightning crackled across his skin. Amy was playing a game on their console, and swore when the system shorted out. “God damnit, MacGrath! Couldn't you have waited a few moments longer? I almost had this stupid monkey!”

“I'm sorry, Amy”, he said. “It's just...you're right. I can do whatever I want, go wherever I want. And if I have the chance to go back, I should take it, no?” He grimaced. “It doesn't feel right, leaving you behind, though.”

“Hey, we won't go anywhere”, Harms declared with a grin. “Sooner or later you'll come back with hopefully way less regrets than you have now.”

“Pretty sure it'll be sooner anyways. That dumbass is going to get himself killed either way”, Amy mumbled.

“Amy!”

“She's right”, Kessler added thoughtfully. “He _is_ a dumbass. But he got lucky so far.” He eyed Cole. “Greet Zeke and Alex for me, will you? Haven't seen those bastards in nearly eighty years anyways. The few short meetings don't count. We didn't even have a beer.”

“We will always be proud of you”, Trish added, pulling him into a hug. “Now go back to your living friends, and don't forget us.”

He grinned. “Never”

Lightning jumped away from his limbs, and the apartment faded out in brilliant white light.

* * *

“You son of a bitch!” Something hit Heller's back hard, so he stopped moving rubble and turned to eye the object on the ground. A shoe. And behind it, a socked foot. Belonging to a familiar person. 

Heller just arched an eyebrow. “Callen, why are you throwing your footwear at me?”

“Because you are an asshole who didn't tell me that you got _superpowers_!”

“Oh? And what makes you think that I have?”

“How about the fact you're just casually lifting _half a house_?!”

Heller glanced at the piece of rubble he was holding, and yeah. It  _was_ pretty much part of a building. He put it down on the ground in the designated area. “It's more like an eight of a building.”

“It's still more than like four bricks I could carry”, his co-worker snapped. “Also, you seen those videos of yourself throwing around gas tanks and beating up giant monsters?”

He blinked. “Really?”

Callen grumbled under his breath and drew a few sheets of paper from his bag. They were obviously still images from film, Heller figured, and they showed him fighting Corrupted and the Beast. “Huh.”

“That's all you say? _Huh_?!” Callen groused as he picked up his shoe and put it back on. “I always thought you were called _Hades_ because you've been in some special forces.”

“Technically, it were special forces”, Heller argued.

“I was thinking more in the lines of specially trained super agents. Not super-powered individuals.” Callen crossed his arms. “In retrospect, I should really have expected sort of this. Especially since you picked up that GAU and waved it at a bunch of terrorists way back then.”

“Right” Heller crossed his arms. “Why are you here, G? Couldn't you have waited to chew me out once I'm back at the office?”

“About that.” Callen motioned to the side, revealing his boss and his daughter. Hetty only grinned, and Maya dashed to the front with a high-pitched _Daddyyyyyy!_

She launched herself at him, hugging him tightly. Heller hugged her back, baffled, and kept an eye on his boss. Hetty grinned almost evilly. “We decided to get a head start in the yelling, and we brought reinforcements along. This young lady volunteered to help us.”

“I'm very mad at you”, Maya claimed. “You didn't call when you beat this giant monster!”

“I'm sorry. But all the phones were dead, and I was pretty much confined to the hospital after the fact. Figures that jumping into a nuclear fire isn't the most intelligent decision I've done.”

“You okay, man?” Callen actually sounded worried.

“I am now. I heal fast” Heller waved him off. “But you didn't answer my question. New Marais's a bit out of your jurisdiction, and pretty far away just for yelling at me.”

“Indeed, Mr Heller”, Hetty shook her head gently. “Ah, we shouldn't do this without a good cup of tea, but I'm afraid it will have to wait.”

He didn't like the tone of her voice. And he had enough experience to know that something was off. “Why?”

“Since the Beast ravaged the East Coast, most of the only survivors had been Conduits.” She spread her hands away from her body, palms up. “Now, you can imagine what happened next.”

Heller groaned, wiping his palm down his face. “Lynch mobs in the streets, right?”

Hetty's mouth was drawn into a tight line. “Exactly. Most of the civilian population doesn't seem to realize that these Conduits are victims themselves. Most of them are young, and all of them inexperienced and still traumatized by the events. The furious mob tracks them down and kills them in retaliation.” She made a face. “ And worse is, the Government keeps painting targets on the Conduit's backs. Those FEMA collected were registered, tagged, and had special remarks added to their IDs. Additionally, I've been hearing rumors in the upper echelons that Conduits are to be relocated into security camps, so they can't harm anybody with their powers.”

Heller growled, teeth bared and claws breaking skin. “Camps and tagging, huh? Where did I hear that one before?”

“Exactly” Hetty's mouth was pressed into a thin line that gave her a bitter expression. “Conduits include you too, James.”

The Evolved groaned. Technically, he wasn't a Conduit, but the reality was probably even less believable. “I know.” He glanced at her. “You going to fire me?”

“Lord beware, no”, Hetty shook her head. “You are a competent agent and a precious member of my team. However, until we have confirmation about either course of action, I want you to keep a low profile. Best here in New Marais.”

Heller frowned. “And-”

Hetty smiled. “The young lady can stay here and attend school in New Marais, or will be given into the care of Mr Henna. Your choice.”

“I think that choice is pretty clear.”

“Indeed.” Hetty nodded again. “Now, Mr Callen and the others will probably be grateful to supply you with your property in exchange for taking a few days off.”

“I'm very grateful”, G confirmed. “Now come. We gave you the sordid news, how about you show us around? Or at least me”, he added as an afterthought, “Because I think Hetty will want to meet that Blackwatch Colonel. If he is still alive.”

“Oh, don't worry”, Hetty mentioned. “Robert is fine. He's too stubborn to die. You three, enjoy your city visit. I'm going to look whether I don't get some tea.”

“Pretty sure there's tea in Fort Phillipe. Uhm, the cheap stuff from the supermarket.”

Hetty shuddered as she made her way through the still destroyed city.

* * *

Breathing hurt. Each day a little less, but it hurt nevertheless. Still, Zeke figured he'd gotten the better end of the deal- being still alive after two weeks had passed. Doc had confirmed that the Plague was gone, his lungs were no longer falling apart- but healing was a whole different thing. He'd never been athletic, but this shit really took the cake.

He sighed deeply, coughed briefly, and felt breathless again.

“Hey Zeke” His head snapped up as Laroche approached. “You okay?”

Zeke shrugged. “Not really. I mean, I keep coughin' and my chest feels too tight, and, well.”

Laroche sat down besides him. “Yeah, I get what you mean.” He glanced at him. “You think he'll be back?”

“Doubt it”, he snorted. “You heard what the doc said.”

Laroche exhaled. “I did. But what do you think?”

“I don't know”, Zeke mumbled, and picked up his voice. “I mean, back when he got his powers, he'd been out of it too. And when the Beast attacked. He came back each time.” He shook his head. “But this, it feels more permanent, you know? Can't bring myself to look after him, because every time I see him it hurts. Cole should be full energy. Not like this.”

“What does the doc say?”

“He says to...take him off life support. He's gone and we need the resources.” He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. “I told him we'd wait another three days. If nothing changes, then...” He swallowed thickly. “I don't wanna lose my best friend.”

Laroche sighed. “I know. When I lost my wife to Katrina, I thought everything was over, and sometimes it still hurts- but then I remember the happy times we had together. And I'm grateful I knew her.”

Zeke blinked. “Not mourn that you're gone, but happy we had you?”

“Exactly.”

“...Think I can live with it. And”, He sighed deeply. “We were kinda ready for this, no? Cole was ready. You know what he told me, back when I fixed up the RFI? He said it wouldn't matter if he got his clock cleaned, but we were supposed to keep on livin'.”

“Can't sully his sacrifice by moping”, Laroche agreed. He clapped Zeke's back. “You ever need to talk, or just sit there and drink a beer without talking, you know where to find me.”

“Yeah.”

Laroche got up. “I gotta go back, though. The boys are trying to get some places ready for the displaced to live in, until we got the city back up.” He grinned. “I'm glad we got the military here, by the way. They keep everything under control, and they lend us these big guys for heavy lifting.”

“The Supersoldiers?”

“Exactly. Think they actually enjoy helping us out. Dunno who Kuo chewed out, but we got state aid rolling in without end. Nix and Lisa help with getting care packs to the people. Alex and Heller are tidying up the rubble.”

“So everything's under control?”

“So far, yes.” He started walking. “See you around, Zeke.”

“Yeah, see you.” He watched the older man go before he got up and wandered to St. Ignatius. There was a crater now in front of the church, and most people decided to let it fill with water and make a pond from it. Most other holes had been patched up already, and the street trains were running again. Old Town and Ascension Parish hadn't been hit so hard like Gas Works, so the repair efforts mostly focused on repairing the infrastructure, especially energy and water.

The clacking of heels against solid ground made him pause. He didn't know many people who would wear heels in New Marais, and even less people who functioned as walking air conditioners.

“Hey Kuo”

“Hey Zeke”

He turned to look at her. She was back in her two-piece suit, with her hair tied up and a pair of gloves covering her hands. She kept the blue make-up, however. “I liked your other look better.”

“My other look didn't say 'Shut up and listen, because I can bury your sorry ass with governmental money and nobody will know'”, she replied with a grin.

“So, the NSA took you back?”

“Yes. Mostly because now they have a Conduit of their own”, her lips twitched downwards. “They finally succeeded with getting one.”

“Yeah, but they can't eff with you. Not with you having contact to Cole, and Alex, _and_ Colonel Blackwatch.” He shrugged. “You won't have to dance to their tune, Kuo.”

“I won't”, she grinned. “But at least they're keeping me paid, so I'll put up with them. For now.”

Zeke huffed amused and fell silent. Eventually, he cleared his throat. “You know? Cole's folks called me.” She made a surprised noise and cocked her head. “It's true. They couldn't get through to us because they didn't know we survived Empire. They realized we did because USTV brought a report about the shit here. They wanted to know what happened.”

“You told them?”

“Had to. Told them what the doc said, and man, his mother was really broken.” He sighed. “They said they want to pick him up soon the streets are cleared.”

She clicked her tongue. “Must be bad for parents to survive their kids.”

“But they can tell everybody what a damn hero he was”, Zeke grinned painfully.

“We won't let anybody forget it either”, Kuo agreed. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and for the first time, the cold didn't seep into his bones. “Now come. Let's see how we can help.”

They walked off and were just passing Sherry's place, when a plume of smoke appeared in front of them. When Nix stepped out, she was breathless, her eyes wide and her dark skin pale. “Kuo! Zek'! Ya gotta come!”

“Why? What's going on?”

“Cole, man. 'e's _gone_!”

* * *

“You Cole?”

Cole blinked, brows furrowing at the sight of the small dark-skinned girl sitting on the end of his bed and staring at his face.

“Are you baby Nix?” He asked lamely, but the words wouldn't come out right.

She blinked, cocking her tiny head. “Are you a zombie? If you are, I'd have to call for daddy so he can mash you.”

“Who are you?” He tried to say, but found himself obstructed. His hand clumsily reached up where he found a tube jammed down his throat. His frown returned and he grabbed the tube harder to pull it out, coughing and swearing once it had cleared his voice box. 

The little girl seemed somewhat alarmed. “Hey! You shouldn't do that! The doctor said you'll need it!”

“What I need”, he coughed, “Is that thing out of my face.” He blinked tears away as he tried to sit up. “Who are you? Baby Nix? Am I still dreaming?”

“Nix?” The girl frowned. “You mean that weird fire lady? No, my name's Maya.”

“Okay, so Maya”, He ran his tongue over his teeth, trying to get the taste of plastic out of it. “Would you get me a glass of water please?”

The girl hummed. “Okay” And bustled off. Five minutes later she returned with a big glass, beaming. “I asked the nurse to give me some, because I said I was thirsty. But I lied, I wasn't thirsty”, she declared proudly.

“Good work”, Cole gave back and gratefully took the drink. It felt almost divine on his parched tongue, and the girl watched him the entire time like he was something miraculous. “Okay”, he put the glass down and eyed her. “What's the matter?”

She furrowed her brows. “Daddy said you wouldn't wake up. But you did, and I don't think daddy would lie about things like that. Adults would lie, no? Would tell me that you'll come back, but daddy always said you wouldn't. Now you woke up, but I think the other adults were only lying to make me feel better. They didn't think you would get up either.”

“Yeah, guess you can see through the bullshit people tell you just to make you feel better, huh?” 

She gasped. “That was a fucking bad word!” Then she giggled.

Cole grinned. “I heard that before. Let me guess: Heller, that big guy, he's your dad?”

She nodded. “Yes! And he is the best daddy in the world.”

“And he said I wouldn't wake up anymore?”

“Yup. Said something like...light's on but nobody's home. Dunno what he meant with it.”

He furrowed his brows. “That's why you called me a zombie?”

She nodded. “I don't think you're like the other zombies, though. You haven't tried to eat me yet.”

“Well, I can tell you I'm not dead. Or...not anymore, I guess.” He inclined his head and his brows furrowed. “Before, you said Nix was the weird fire lady? Is there an ice lady too?”

Maya nodded. “Yes, and they are both really nice to me. And they yell at the other adults a lot. I like them.”

So they were both alive then? Cole grunted and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, plucking the electrodes from the heart monitor off his skin. “I have to see them. Be good and tell the adults not to worry.” He found his pants and shirt, threw them on, slipped into his shoes and was out of the window before the doctors and nurses could arrive and check up on the loss of signal. He could see the girl perched at the window, waving at him as he left.

He should have asked her more things, he realized as he climbed up on the roof. How long has it been since the Beast? Was John really gone? How were Kuo and Nix? How were Alex and Heller? What about everybody else who'd been affected by the Plague?

Zeke- what was about Zeke?

He had been dying from the Plague, but Cole hadn't seen him with Trish and the others. So has it worked? Was he cured?

Or had he simply failed to show up?

Where was he supposed to look? He could probably use his radar sense, but how would Zeke feel different from other people?

...Maybe he should go look for Alex instead?

Seemed like the best choice, he figured, and quickly scaled the hospital building to get a better overview and avoid obstacles that could take his sight.

The first thing he noticed was that he was in Ascension Parish, with the Fort sitting to the East and the Old Town with St. Ignatius being plainly visible to the West. The next thing he noticed was that he wasn't alone. Dana was up there too, hidden under a parasol and her laptop on her knees. Her eyes were wide and her jaw had dropped open.

“Uhm...You're kinda looking good for a dead guy”, she eventually managed to say.

Cole blinked. “You're the second to tell me that. What happened?”

She furrowed her brows. “A lot of shit happened, and I was kind of busy freaking out. You need to be specific.”

“I have questions.”

Dana nodded and closed her laptop. “Okay, go on.”

“How long?”

“Two weeks, plus three days. You'll need a shave, by the way.”

Cole already figured that. He'd do something about it as soon his curiosity was sated. “What about Zeke? Or the others?”

Dana only shrugged. “We're fine. Or better, not dying. The idea to stop the Ray Field worked. Plague's gone.”

He exhaled in relief. “That's good to hear. How are you?”

“Breathless, mostly. Doc said to stay away from air pollution until the lungs healed. So yeah, we got orders to not go back into the big cities.” She grinned briefly. “Wisemen too. They got extended leave. Think Cross doesn't know what to do with free time. It eats him up.”

Cole grinned briefly at the idea of Colonel Blackwatch being lost without risking his life. “What about John?”

“The Beast?” Dana furrowed his brows. “When you activated the RFI Heller said there's been a blinding light. I checked NASA, and even they noticed it on the ISS for a split second. Thought it was some lightning storm. Anyways, soon as the light dims, the Beast's gone.”

Cole blinked. “Just like that?”

“Well, Alex confirmed that it basically exploded and imploded at the same time. Little like a Supernova, you know? Anyways, the churchyard got a new crater now, Alex and James got out of it with a bunch of burns, while Kuo and Nix kind of lost control over their powers. Nix got burned up bad, Kuo turned into icy slush for a few days. We thought we lost them, but both eventually got better.” She pointed at him. “You didn't.”

“That girl- Maya- she said something similar.” He furrowed his brows. “What. Happened?”

“You died”, Dana said. “Brain Death.”

Cole blinked. “That...isn't exactly survivable.”

“Exactly.” She threw her hands up. “Alex had the doctors keep your circulation alive, but we kind of already expected it to fail anyways. And now you not only switched back on, you also did it so fast that you managed to get out of the hospital room and up here before they even realize you're gone. Pretty sure in a few more minutes most of us are going to get an alert, and there is going to be a wide-spread search action.” Her arms dropped, and her tone turned curious. “How did you do it?”

Cole frowned.  _It is in your powers to go back._ “I think...Kessler told me I could come back. Like, life is based on electrical charges, right? And I can control them.”

“Kessler?”

“I think I dreamed of him? And Trish was there, and Amy, and Harms.” 

“You can't have dreamed. Your brain was _dead_ , Cole.” Ah, the sweet voice of realism, accompanied by the most gut-wrenching headache he ever experienced. 

He grimaced, turning slowly. “Hey Alex.”

The Runner stood behind him, teeth bared for a moment before he grabbed the Conduit and pulled him into a tight hug. “You goddamn asshole. Don't you fucking do that again, you hear me?”

Cole gasped from the pressure. “No promises, but I'll tune it down, okay?”

* * *

“That's what my boss told me”, Heller finished with a deep frown.

“Ah, shit”, Cole growled.

“De 'ell? We _saved_ deir dumb asses an' dis is 'ow dey tank us?!” Nix literally spat embers at each word, and flames licked at the corner of her eyes.

“It was to be expected”, Kuo threw in. “There are hundreds of people now that are basically armed with the most devastating weapon known to mankind. Our Government has no way to take it from them, so it has to control us.”

Her statement was met with low muttering and some cussing. It was the day after Cole's miraculous revival, and after each and every last present doctor had checked him up. They were back on the roof of their first hideout, the brothel owned by Madame Sherry. The Conduits were present, Cross, Dana, Dunbar, Maya and Heller. Alex watched their body language- tense, nervous.

And angry.

“Blackwatch can offer amnesty”, Cross threw in. “Use you as temporary employes for example. Won't be perfect and we can basically draft in your asses whenever we want to, but it would remove you out of the public eye.” He nodded at Kuo. “Or you become governmental employes. Same deal, but you won't be knowing what they're planning to do with you.”

Dunbar scoffed. “And we would know with Blackwatch?”

“You can trust us to send you into life-threatening missions without knowledge about the situation. So pretty much what you've been doing the entire time, but at least if you live at the end of the day, you'll get a pat on the back and a paycheck. With governmental bodies, you can never know when they turn around and stab you in the back.”

“How about turn it around?” Cole questioned. “We get to be Blackwatch agents, and will work as liaison officer with other bodies. We would get double the protection then. Like Alex here already does.” He nodded at Alex, and more specifically, the new surface of his skin. He had designed it to look similar to a standard Blackwatch Uniform, but removed the helmet for a black hood and topped it off with his leather jacket.

“I don't really work for Blackwatch”, Alex threw in.

“He does, part-time actually”, Cross corrected. “He tells us where he is, and we get to call his ass in whenever we need to, point him at whatever target we pick, and cut him loose. In return, we leave his family alone.”

“Win-win for everybody”, Dana added. She waved her hand to her laptop. “I've been digging into their system for a while now. Pretty sure Blackwatch knows I'm there, but aren't doing anything to stop me. So this _is_ legit.”

Cross made a sort of noise inside his throat, like a mixture between a scoff and a groan, but didn't say anything. Alex figured he had his hopes that they wouldn't hack into their servers dashed in one swoop by that simple statement.

“I think we can debate about that one later”, Kuo suggested. “But I like the idea that we won't be touched. At least for a time, until we figure out how to proceed. Or what is going to happen in the first place.”

“Yeah, I second that notion”

“Third that”

“Four' dat”

“All in favor”, Dunbar confirmed. “Just remember, Mister Black Ops Military Man- if this deal gets weird, yours is the first ass we'll kick.”

“Counter offer”, Cross simply replied. “I'll hold Rooks down and you'll kick _his_ ass. The whole plan was his idea, after all.”

“...I can live with that.”

“I got a question”, Kuo then picked up the discussion, and turned to Cole. “You gave us quite the scare when Nix alarmed us of your status. Honestly, when she said 'gone', I imagined more in the lines of 'dead-gone', not 'disappeared-gone'.” She cocked her head. “How did you do it? Most people don't just walk off brain death.”

Cole shrugged. “No idea. Didn't think too much about it in the beginning, didn't even know how bad it was.” He frowned. “But then Dana said Alex had been present present when the doctors hooked me up to the machines.” He glanced at the Runner. “So the real question should be What have you done to me? Made me an Evolved like Heller?”

Alex shook his head to cut them off. “I didn't. All I did was inject some of my Biomass into your nervous system to keep it from falling apart. From my evolution into a real living being the time before Wolfe's death I learnt how to imitate a working metabolism. That's what I did, used my cells to latch on yours and keep them from dying off by leeching energy into them.” He shrugged. “Now, since you are awake your immune system should remove the Biomass from your body bit by bit. You'll probably feel sick for the next few days, but I had nothing to do with the reversion of your coma.”   
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I would lie if I said I hadn't thought about making you an Evolved, though. Wonder whether I would have been able to reproduce an identity basing on your memories.”

“Then why didn't you?”

“Because it wouldn't have been _you_. It would have looked like you, talked like you, but _you_ would be missing.” He grimaced and shook his head. “Regardless, I would have done it. You waking up is a blessing.” He cocked his head. “Kuo asked a good question. How did you do it?”

Cole frowned. “When I was...dead or something, I dreamed I had met Kessler, and he told me it would be within my powers. He pointed out that my abilities were electricity-based, so I should be able to restart myself.”

“Like...usin' jumper cable on a dead engine, right?” Dunbar questioned. “Power it up until it runs on its own?”

“Kinda. I just...drew energy from within my consciousness, I guess, not from my body, because I wasn't in it.” Cole frowned. “If it makes any sense?”

“So, ya spirit brougt ya body back to life?” Nix questioned.

“In a way. Sounds pretty wild-”

“It could be possible”, Alex threw in, much to Cole's surprise. “We haven't even begun scratching at the surface of Conduit powers, so spontaneous resurrection might be part of it.”

Kuo frowned. “John certainly did.”

Alex grimaced. “About that, not sure that  _was_ White.”

“No?”

“No. He would have had the memories and the face, so logically, he would have believed himself to be White. But judging by how quickly he was dismantled when you hit him with the RFI, I'd say he was basically Ray Field Energy thinking it was John White. The real White died in Empire.”

“Oh” Cole furrowed his brows. “Then what about _me_? I mean, I was kind of dead too.”

Alex waved him off. “It's different. White was torn apart. Mercer had been shot and was dead for several hours before I revived his body. Your system kept running, didn't matter that it was only working because it had help. Death is slow, and it basically only affected your brain, not your body. We have to see whether you retained brain damage, or whether there will be aftereffects, but so far, it looks like you are still you. Especially if it is true what Nix said.”

That's...nice to hear. Even though Cole wasn't sure whether it would matter at all. Didn't matter who you were, right? Only mattered what you did.

Heller cleared his throat. “So, you told White he was the Ray Field himself. Could it be he figured out what went on and just lost his shit?”

“Doubt he knew. Honestly, my idea's just a thesis at this point. And, to be frank, I didn't expect him to flip his shit at all. Always figured White would realize what he did and try to, I don't know, reverse at least the effect. Think it would have been in his abilities. Would certainly be more likely considering what he believed in.”

“That's...correct to assume”, Kuo agreed slowly. “I knew John. He would never lash out that violently.” 

“What if he had acted?” Cross questioned, making all of their heads snap into his direction.

“Acted?” Dunbar was the first to speak. “Like...like a dude on stage?”

“Indeed”, Cross confirmed. “This whole destruction? Was only for show. All of us know he could have ended everything with just one snap of his fingers, right? He _didn't_ , and he had good reason to when Mercer went Kaiju on his ass. Instead, he fought back, used barely any powers, asides from teleporting. At the same time, he chased after MacGrath- to make him pick up his pace. Looks a lot like he tried to make it look real without causing actual harm.”

“He kind of blew up Gas Works. And nearly killed Laroche-” Dunbar threw in thoughtfully

Alex cut him off. “I blew up Gas Works, and Blackwatch's air strike was what nearly did Laroche in. White- all he did was attack  _me_ , and he knew I could take it. Against you or the others he basically just defended. Never went for the offense.”

“...and that would be odd if he was actively trying to kill us”, Cole realized.

“Which is why I think he actually acted out a role.”

“But-” Kuo's eyes widened. “Of _course_.”

“Kuo?”

“I _know_ John. I know he would have never acted irrationally. However, I also know he sometimes jumps to conclusions.” She lifted a finger. “What if he thought this was the only way to stop the Plague? He wanted to save the people, right?”

“You mean, it was like suicide-by-Cop?”

“Something of the kind. He had to put up a _show_ to protect the Conduits, too.”

“What?”

Dana's head snapped up in surprise. “Of course. It makes sense, if you think about it.” She pointed at their group. “Who outside of us knows that the Beast was a Conduit?”

“Rooks does. Blackwatch does” Cross threw in.

“But the population _does not_. Neither does the Government. And it are those two parties we need to be most wary of, no?” She grinned. “And John is NSA. He knows perfectly well what happens if the whole truth remains buried. As long nobody learns that he was a Conduit, it will have been the _Beast_ that devastated the East Coast. It won't have been the action of a _Conduit_. Think of Warner, Cole. In not one article he was mentioned to be a Conduit either, but you were. You were clearly shown to have saved people both times.”

“Wait- it was a ploy to _protect us_?” Cole demanded to know. 

“I think so”, Kuo agreed. “He appeared as the Beast, Cole. A giant Monster that was known to destroy the cities and kill hundreds of people. And we, _Conduits_ , fought it to stop it. He figured that it would paint us in a better light and remove pressure from Conduits completely.”

“Din' work”, Nix scoffed. “'Eller said we still get 'unted.”

“But we aren't declared to be shot on sight. We are still redeemable- if we act careful, we can direct the public opinion into our favor.” Her eyes glowed. “I think it would be worth a try.”

“It's not going to be easy”, Alex threw in. “Humans are cowards, and if anything doesn't fit with how they see the world, they are going to get ballistic. It is possible that fear will alter their perception to a degree that they would hunt for Conduits, no matter whether it was legal or not. And if they find enough lawyers, they can get through with it too.”

“Then we need to protect all those that need protection”, Cole growled.

“How about makin' New Marais into Conduit territory?” Dunbar suggested. “Like, makin' up our own special force that just take care that no Conduit misuses their powers by showin' them how the ropes. If they still hurt others on purpose, we take them down. But it'll need to be Conduits beating up Conduits, or otherwise we'll have riots on our asses.”

“Show dem dat dey can live 'ere wit' normal people if dey obey de rules?” Nix questioned. “An' if not, dey get deir asses kicked?”

“Yeah. And if we have a lot of Conduits in one place, we can also defend ourselves should the army come knockin'.” He jabbed his thumb at Alex. “And if anybody got a problem with it, our brother here can still do the Kaiju thing and make them back off.”

Alex grimaced briefly.  _Not sure I can do that again. Burnt through my Biomass fast just keeping myself from collapsing under my own weight._

Heller just grinned.  _“But alone the idea you could wreck them by stepping on them should keep them at bay. Best weapon is the one you don't need to use, right?”_

_Guess so._ He frowned.  _What about Cole?_

“ _What about him?”_

_I'm not sure, the moment before Cole activated the RFI the Beast already started falling apart. Felt like its power just petered out._

“ _And?”_

_He was a living Ray Sphere, with enough control to add any power he wants to Conduits. He altered Cole's radar before._ He glanced at Heller.  _And he wanted Cole to become the new Beast. What if he succeeded? What if the Beast is still alive, only hidden inside Cole?_

Heller hesitated.  _“That would be very bad.”_

“Guys?” Cole's voice pulled them out of the Hive Mind. “Stop doing that mind reading thing and get over here. Maya wants ice cream.”

“He's right”, Maya confirmed. “I want ice cream! Zeke said there was a store that made the best ice cream!”

Alex blinked, then grinned. _Doubt we'll have any problems on that front. And if he ever goes rogue, the others will have fucking deserved it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's finished. Hope I tied up all loose ends here, and I want to thank you for sticking with me through this entire time.
> 
> For those who are curious: Yes, I am planning Festival of Blood. It'll be only a one-shot, albeit a longer one, and will be most likely up for 31st October.


End file.
